Hi,
My mom, age 58 was diagnosed with cervical cancer IIIB a couple of months ago. She was soon started on chemo-radiation therapy. 5 cycles of cisplatin and 25 cycles of external radiation. She completed all her cycles three weeks ago without much side-effects (except for Diarrhea and little bit nausea). Her doctor inspected the area today and said the mass is stable and has not shrunk and she is thus unfit to receive internal radiation. I have the following questions:
1) Is it possible that the therapy did not have any affect on her as she did not experience much of the side-effects caused by chemo. My mom doesn't look weak at all and eats properly.
2) Also, nowhere in her report does it say that it is caused by HPV. Aren't all the cervical cancer cases caused by HPV? Although she has not been sexually active for many years. Does it not matter to the doctors how the cancer is caused? (We are in India) Should my dad get tested for HPV as well?
3) What happens to the virus after it has caused cancer, is it sill in the body? How transmittable is the virus?
Thanks!
Subha