Newly diagnosed adenocarcinoma in situ

Hello, Am I ever glad to have found this wonderful site!
I am finally getting over the shock of this cancer diagnosis and wonder if anyone can help me. I was sent by my OB to a cancer OB. The new Doc did a second pap, cervical biopsy and endo cervical scrapings yesterday. I will wait for a week to find out what is really going on. The new Doc doesn't seem to think that the cancer is in situ. Something about a pap test really not being able to tell that. She wants to find out if the cancer has spread and said the next step will be a cold knife cone. Then after that, I will need a hysterectomy. Does anyone know why she doesn't just take me to the hospital one time and just remove everything?
I guess I just need to talk to those who have been through this. Thanks for listening! Cindy

Hi, and welcome!! Knowledge is powerful, and you will find a ton here on this site from all these wonderful ladies who have been there, done that!!

I had TVH for CIN3 (insitu) July 16, 2001. I, too, wanted to skip the cold knife cone and just get the hysterectomy. My dr. said they needed to stage it, to be sure the proper surgery was done in the proper way. Meaning whether ovaries would stay or go or lymph nodes or whether to go in abdominally or vaginally.

With the cold knife cone, they can tell pretty much what they're dealing with. I am so glad you are seeing a gyn oncologist. They know exactly what to look for!!

Waiting for results is the toughest time in dealing with this!! Post here with all your questions!!

s Cindy

I wanted to welcome you to Cancer Concerns!
You have come to a great place for advice, hugs, encouragement and support. Many ladies share your diagnosis.
My own problem was ovarian so I'll let the others share with you.
It's great that you are being seen by a gyn oncologist. They are the experts.
Best wishes and keep in touch.

karenann

Thank-you all for your replies.. I look forward to getting to know all of you. I appreciate the explanation, transplant....I suppose that I shouldn't be in such a hurry over something this important. You must have had good news in order to have a TVH. I will hope for the same. Are you doing good now? How long ago did you go through this?

If I should post these questions somewhere else, please let me know...I'm not quite sure of what to do or where to go. I have spent hours reading this site so far and am just now getting to the boards.

Everyone thanks for your replys and encouragement...sadly but gladly, I feel at home here. Cindy

CGraham,

The exact same thing happened to me; gyn says Adeno-in-situ, and the gyn/onc disagreed. I know that the waiting is the hardest part, hang in there! I was able to have all of the cancer removed though I had a trachelectomy rather than a hysterectomy. Anyway, glad you found the site. These women have been the best supporters ever.

Chicklet

I did skip the cone and just had the hysterectomy. Prior to my surgery, I had a pap, a colposcopy and then a Leep which came back as AIS. My gyn recommended that I skip the cone and go straight to the hyster. I got a second opinion from a gyn/oncologist who agreed. It turned out to be stage 1A adenocarcinoma.
Stage 1A just needs a total hysterectomy but stage 1b needs a radical which is removal of the tissue surrounding the cervix and lymph node removal. I would wait and see the results of the test you just got back. The advantage to the cone is that it does stage it and you will know for sure if you need a total or radical hyster. The disadvantage is that it is another procedure and you then have to wait several weeks until you have the hyster. You might want to go for a second opinion.

Chiclet,
Who was correct? The ob or the ob/onc? I want to guess and say it was the ob due to the type of surgery that you had. I had never heard of trachelectomy until now...I went to Google and looked it up. I'm so glad that you were able to keep all of those parts. Here is the article that I found, it might help otheres in your situation.

Experimental surgery gives women with cervical cancer new chance at motherhood
By Paul Dingsdale

An experimental new surgical procedure offered by the gynecology team at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital is offering hope for cervical cancer patients who want to preserve their fertility.

Radical trachelectomy, removal of the cervix while preserving the uterus, offers younger women with cervical cancer the chance to start a family while effectively treating the disease.

"The traditional approach to invasive cervical cancer is to do a radical hysterectomy: cervix and uterus are removed, and fertility is gone," said Lynda Roman, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Trachelectomy preserves a woman's fertility in a way that traditional treatment does not, and for Roman's patient Raquel Rivas, the new treatment proved to be a godsend.

Raquel and her husband, Tony, were ready to start a family. But when a routine visit to the family doctor yielded the daunting prognosis of cervical cancer, the outlook seemed bleak. The cancer appeared to be aggressive, the Rivas' doctor told them, and a hysterectomy seemed to be the only option.

Thanks to Roman and the medical team at Norris, however, there was another option. Rivas underwent the radical trachelectomy surgery at Norris almost three years ago, and now she is 18 weeks pregnant with twins.

"It's a miracle," she said of the pregnancy. "The USC doctors have been great and I'm so happy."

The new surgery reflects a trend in oncology in which surgeons are striving to remove less tissue while keeping cure rates high. Nevertheless, although she is an enthusiastic proponent of the procedure (which was developed in France) Roman insists it is not for everyone. "This is effective for specific cancers in younger women who want to preserve fertility," she said.

Age is an important consideration and the ideal candidate should be 35 or younger. But, "I am not willing to put in a hard cut-of agef. If we have a woman who is older and who wants to keep her uterus, I will consider her for the procedure."

"For a very select group of women with very early cancers, this appears to be a reasonable option that may allow them to maintain their fertility," Roman concluded. "But until we have larger numbers with larger follow-up, we can't say much more than that."

Hi Cindy,

Actually, it was the gyn/onc who was correct, it was not AIS, but it was only microinvasive so I was in good shape to have the trachelectomy. It was a radical trach.; they also took pelvic lymph nodes to be sure that there was no spread. It is hard to find info on trachelectomies since it's a fairly new procedure. However, I do know that there are at least 2 others who come to this site who've had the procedure. They've been great to talk to. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to chat about your situation or anything else. I'm here to help in any small way that I can!

Chicklet