new diagnosis

[melenzbee83]

Hi,
I am a young resident of Australia and get quite frustrated at the lack of funding, research and education our country is doing especially compared to the U.S. So i thought this would be a great idea to get some second opinions.
I look forward to offering support to all women part of the group and also hopefully chatting with women as young as i am.
I was first diagnosed with a tumour on my left ovary when i was only 22. i had my left ovary removed followed by open surgery where cells in my pelvis were removed due to also testing borderline. I just underwent a laboroscopy as for me that is the only test that works due to being in early stages and i have another 5 spots in my uterus that have developed, my right ovary is fine at this stage.

As i said before there is so little information out there and anything i find on the internet is so negative. i feel i am  lucky as my cancer is borderline and non-invasive at the moment but i was hoping to hear that yes it is possible for me to beat this as the statistics presented on the internet are really bad.

Also the next step is to decide if i want a hystorectomy or not? my doctor has given me the option of inducing a medical menopause for 6 months to try and reduce it or do nothing for 6 months? or have a hystorectomy? I really need some second opinions?

i wish every women here the best of luck and lots of love.

[Kimchi]

Come join us on the "Related Communities" forum located on left side of the page and click on "Ovarian Cancer"...There is a whole group of people from Australia who have a lot to share

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There Mel,

If you have not had a follow up evaluation with at least physical exam and CA 125, I would reccomend that at this point.  If you have bloating and pain, it could be related to adhesions from surgery, a recurrence of the borderline tumor, or something completely unrelated such as the development of irritable bowel syndrome.

Given your history, I would also lean towards checking a CT scan. A CT scan would show fluid, tumors, or bowel obstruction.
please let us know what the follow up tests show
best wishes

[melenzbee83]

Hi, just wondering if you saw my latest post dated 12 march 2008?

thanks for your time , i know you are extremely busy!

[melenzbee83]

bumping up! still have not had a reply!

[melenzbee83]

Hi,
Is it normal to still being experiencing abdominal bloating  months after surgery? (or even longer?)
i am only 24 and extremely frustrating at how bloated my stomach is... it cause alot of pain and discomfort.

I have stage IIIA borderline serous tumor with NONinvasive implants, i had 5 spots removed 9th Jan this year however i still look 6-9 months pregnant by the afternoon. In fact my stomach has never looked the same since first being diagnosed in 2006. I work out at the gym five days a week and do regular sit ups and pilates. I eat a good diet and raw vegetable juices. can anything help?

Thanks
Mel

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Dear Melenzbee,

It is quite possible that a complete surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus will cure this borderline tumor. It is unclear if the borderline tumor changes to an invasive cancer or if women who have borderline tumors have a greater risk for invasive ovarian cancer 20 years later.  I suspect the latter. It would be interesting to see if an antiestrogen like tamoxifen made those spots go away. As borderline tumors are very slow growing, i do not see a downside to trying it. Please let us know how you are doing
take care

Dear Stressed out,
it sounds like you are being evaluated carefully.  It is unlikely that you have ovarian cancer if your tests and exams have been normal.  I am sorry for your deep distress. I hope  that your discomfort and stress resolve soon!
best wishes

[stressedout911]

I am scared to death that i had ovarian cancer....Heres my story... About a year and a half ago i experienced what i thought was the flu, vomiting, nausaues, diahreea, and lost about ten pounds. Affter that i was fine till about 6 months later thought was the flu.  Now i always get real bad stomach aches, nausea, constipation, bloating,tired,headaches, and my hair seems to be falling out.  Doctors just say i worry to much.   i am 20 years old and i am very tiny for my age i only weight 88lbs.  I went to doctors, i had a colonoscopy done and endonoscopy, pap smear, and some blood work for my thyroids all came clear.  i am afraid that i have ovarian cancer my stomach aches last for a week but lately i have had some pain breathing.  I had a chest x-ray and they said it came out fine i am worried i have ovarian cancer and that it spread to my lungs... No one believes me and everyone says that i am fine does this sound like ovarian cancer...

[melenzbee83]

sorry.. i did have the tomour and spots removed when i was 22 but unfortunately 4 new spots grew back which have recently been removed. Is it possible that they may never grow back?

i am staying quite healthy and am on natural suuplements working with a naturopath and on a diet that is meant to benefit cancer patients. (lots of vegetable and berry juices)

[melenzbee83]

hi Annekathryn,
thanks for your response! i have recently got a little more information which my be helpful. my ovarian cancer is stage IIIA and is borderline serous ovarian cancer. i have 4 spots in my pelvis area.

the reason my Gyno oncologist suggested a medical menopause was suggested by an American doctor during a board meeting. My biopsies where tested against oestrogen and progesterone receptors and it was found that i had a very strongly positive oestrogen reccptors.

what are the chances of it turning invasive? and how long does it normally take?
if i have a hystorectomy and removal of my ovaries and go through menopause what are then the chances of it coming back? does this fix it?

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,

Borderline tumors are malignancies of the ovaries that are slow growing. They are malignancies because they can spread (metastasize) and tumor cells can grow back.  the majority of these tumors are found at Stage one and are cured by surgical removal.  Chemotherapy is not a standard therapy for borderline tumors.

There is a risk of progression from a borderline tumor to an invasive ovarian cancer. Or it could be that women who develop borderline tumors in their 20's, 30's and 40's, may develop the more invasive form of ovarian cancer 20 to 30 years later (in their 40's, 50's, 60's etc)

There is an association with the BRCA 1/2 mutations and at least some percentage of borderline tumors.

As far as the options that your doctor has given you:
they are all reasonable. You can:
watch without intervention
do conservative surgery to try to preserve child bearing and just resect the tumor implants
complete removal of the uterus, other  ovary , and the tumor implants.

I am not familiar with any big studies that show that ovarian suppression shrinks these tumors. Ovarian suppression definitely helps benign conditions such as endometriosis so perhaps, your doctor is trying that approach just in case it is helpful. It is a way of temporizing and waiting before going to a bigger surgery such as hysterectomy

thank you so much for joining our forum. Please let us now how you are doing