please read this and help me understand

16 years 7 months ago #7012 by Zachary
Replied by Zachary on topic please read this and help me understand

And here is an article detailing exactly why you want an experienced surgeon .

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center tracked the outcomes of more than 7,700 men who had their cancerous prostates removed between 1987 and 2003.

The bottom line?

"Standing on my Head"---my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein

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16 years 7 months ago #7010 by wendy
Replied by wendy on topic please read this and help me understand

Hi,

Everything will be done to make sure that there is no spread before surgery is done. Lymphovascular invasion doesn't necessarily mean lymph nodes are involved, but that the tumor is aggressive and beginning to become invasive. Bladder removal is the gold standard. If someone is found to have lymph nodes involved before surgery, it might be postponed and chemo given first.

If the path is correct, a T2 tumor has very good long term survival stats. Most experts agree that this correlates closely to the quality of the surgery performed, with chemo response being less important than a good surgical removal of all cancer and lymph nodes in the area. There is recent info saying the more nodes removed the better the outcome.

As Pat mentioned, an experienced surgeon is of paramount importance for this type of operation.

Good luck and keep asking questions.
Wendy

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16 years 7 months ago #6980 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic please read this and help me understand
The TURB....is a trans urethral resection of the bladder...which is what i'm sure your mother had if it was done under anesthesia and in a hospital setting. The specimen would have then been sent to pathology for staging. You can get that report from the hospital if you haven't already. Just have your mother request it and you can pick it up for her...its readily available on their computer.
A CT scan may or may not pick up lymph node involvement....they can suspect it but until they get in there and take out quite a lot of lymph nodes will they know if there is any spread or not. Not all muscular invasive tumors go outside the bladder....I'm a case in point.
Just make sure she's with a top specialist and top surgeon. Pat

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16 years 7 months ago #6979 by Gene Beane
Replied by Gene Beane on topic please read this and help me understand
Well here is how it goes,, if they have done a chest extray your next step is to get her to a big time specialist, we are at the cleveland clinic, we went there after my husbands tumor was removed for a consultation. Well surprise, before we left the building he had a cat scan of his pelvis, ekg, blood work and now have a scheduled appot. Tuesday for another biopsy, because the specialist wants to see the bladder himself, he said the cat scan showe d no lymph node involvement, she must have a cat scan of the pelvis and bone scan as well. get her to a top notch urologist and don't waste anytime doing it. I am afraid of the actual removal, depending on age and mind set it sounds like it is a long hard recovery. 3 , or 4 months sometimes. Ginger

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16 years 7 months ago #6977 by worrieddaughter
Replied by worrieddaughter on topic please read this and help me understand
Thank you! I don't really know what a TURB is. She had recurring UTI's and finally saw a urologist who found a "polyp" and did an outpatient procedure (not sure the name) to remove it. Thus far we only have the report from where they examined the tumor and a negative chest Xray.

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16 years 7 months ago #6975 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic please read this and help me understand
Hi worried daughter.....first of all how was she diagnosed? Did she have a CT scan and a TURB to determine the type and stage of tumor?
If pathology is correct in its diagnosis its a high grade tumor and appears from what you've said to have gone through to the muscle? Am i correct in assuming this from what you've been told?
Its always a good idea when cancer is the diagnosis to get a second opinion from a major cancer center or university affiliated hospital and seek out a urologist who has seen a lot of this type of cancer. The same is true for seeking out a surgeon...you want someone who performs this surgery on a regular basis.
Where are you located?
Before my radical cystectomy i had CT scans with and without dye, a bone scan, blood work and chest x-ray.
We'll try to answer all your questions and help you and your mother through this...........Pat

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