Already a member? Sign in
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
I read the treatment of cervical cancer varies with stage and not with cell type. Squamous and non-squamous (Adenocarcinomas) tumors are generally treated similarly although some feel that non-squamous tumors have a worse prognosis when compared stage for stage. What is your experience with with adenocarcinoma tumors?
Cancer Surgery Hysterectomy Uterine cancer Falls HPV Cervical cancer Ovarian cancer
We have been consistently ensured that the prognosis is no better or no worse for adeno carcinoma. What puzzles me is that I tested negative (several times) for HPV and the oncologist said he does not think this is HPV related. I think the perception of the prognosis being worse may be for people in my situation where the cancer was difficult to detect and diagnose because of negative HPV readings and the common perception that the cancer only impacts those positive for HPV. I'm also not sure if any of those with adenocarcinoma also had regular pap smears that where normal as I did. Besides my bleeding and discharge; I didn't have the benefit of an issue with either a pap smear or a positive HPV test. This is just me and I always seem to fall in that 1% of the cases!
Cathy
I was diagonosed in 2005 with a Stage 1b1 adenocarcinoma tumor. I had given birth to my son in 2003 and had a clean pap in 2004. Then when I had my pap in 2005, just a little bit over a year later, I had this diagnosis. The only answer that I could reach was that the tumor was too high to have been detected by the pap, until it was larger. Thankfully at this point my treatments have been successful
Kathleen
I was told that Adenocarcinoma's can hide. This explains the normal paps vs. abnormal. I had a normal pap, after an abnormal one 3 months earlier. I was also informed that some doctors only swab a small portion of the cervix when they do their pap test. Your doctor should be swiping your entire cervix. From what I read, Adenocarcinoma is a glandular cancer and it develops deeper inside the cervix, it has a cylinder shape. Squamouscarcinoma is a flat fish scale type cancer that develops on the surface of the cervix.
I too had 15 PLUS years of perfect pap tests. I had no symptoms and had just had a baby by C-section 9 mo. earlier.
I was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma Stage 1B2 through a pathology test (after removal of a "fibroid" that wasn't a fibroid). The dr. called me in to tell me the bad news on a Friday (cancer) and on Monday I received the paper in the mail that said my PAP was normal WITH a 4 plus tumor growing and bulging out of my cervix.
Adenocarcinoma cervical cancer does not pick up on pap tests all the time...it grows up higher and is harder to detect through pap test because they can't always reach the cells. That is why it is important to have a pelvic exam with that bright light shining on your private area/cervix. This was what alarmed the doctor. They physically saw the tumor and that was the only way they would have known. Of course, down the line the tumor would have started bleeding but it may have been too late. They said it might have been too late by then as it was 1/3 the way through my cervix wall and was working its way up to my uterus.
It concerns me that some drs put people on the pill when they are having abnormal bleeding. This should be checked in to further. I could have been in that situation if I had bleeding. Then valuable time would have passed....and who knows what would have happened. Remember, Doctors make mistakes and some of them have not seen adenocarcinoma and it may look different and "Like a Fibroid" to more than one regular ObGyn doctor.
Once the cancer gets out of the walls and hits the vascular area----it is like a highway to your other organs and lymph nodes.
Adenocarcinoma has less research accumulated on it---that is why there are some questions about its origin (HPV). I have had several dr.s tell me it is not from HPV, but then another 2 drs. said the research isn't there like it is for squamous cell.
Hope this helps. --SD
I was diagnosed in July with adenocarcinoma and have had all normal paps. Doc said it's not HPV related. I had a 3 cm polyp removed in my gyn's office (one in a million are cancerous) and it was adenocarcinoma (10% are) along with a 4 cm large tumor on my cervix. The cancer had also made it's way up into my cervix so I am stage 2.
So, like you Cathy I keep falling into that 1%. I just had my radical hyst. in August and am starting radiation soon. I want to go ahead with chemo because I don't want to be a part of the smaller percentage of the 5 year survival rate. My doctor says she doesn't "think" I need it." What should I do? I want to be cancer free for life!
Kelly, so sorry to hear this. Where was the location of your polyp, cervical, endometrial, or elsewhere? Was the cancer contained in the polyp or was there a tumor near the polyp? I'm not well-versed on treatment but I hope others can help you with that.
i'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. adenocarcinoma cervical cancers along with squamous cervical cancers have hpv as their causative agent. the .1% of cervical cancers not caused by hpv are rare, and not these two more common types. as many women discover, paps can miss adenocarcinoma abnormalities which are often higher in the cervical canal, and they can also miss the hpv infection. hopefully as regular hpv testing becomes more routine, fewer abnormalities will be missed. i hope that helps clarify the hpv connection for you. and, best wishes with your upcoming treatment. let us know how you're doing...there's lots of support and wonderful women on this message board.
Hi,
I also got diagnosed with adeno carcinoma in August 2009 and had radical hys in Sep. I am starting chemo next week and will end it with radiation. My doctor initially thought I would just need surgery, but my case is strange, also falls in 1% of cases. My doctor is not 100% sure of my cancer type. I had a 6cm leision on my cervix, the same type was also found on my right ovary but my uterus has only pre-cancerous cells. The cancer on the ovary is not ovarian cancer. No where else is cancer found in my body. Because of the cancer on the ovary, the doctor wants me to undergo chemo and radiation as a preventive measure. Please check with reputed hospitals like Johns Hopkins or others in your area for second opinion. I am also HPV negative.
Hello,
I want to share the complete story for the benefit of all readers on this message board.
I am 32 yrs old. I had my first PAP when I was 30 which was normal. I missed the test last year. I could not conceive and hence went to the fertility center last year. I did all the tests which came out normal. So I decided to try to have a baby without fertility treatment. After a year I still could not conceive and hence decided to go back to the fertility center. The fertility center wanted me to do my PAP test first. The OB-GYN thought I had a fibroid and set a date to remove the fibroid. But the pathology report showed cancer cells. So the doctor went ahead and did biopsy and CT-Scan. I turned out that I did not have a fibroid. It was actually stage 1B adenosquamous cervical cancer and the tumor was 6 cm. In addition the uterus also seemed to have stage 1A cancer. The CT-scan was normal. Later I also did Pelvic MRI to see if my uterus could be kept intact. Since I seemed to have two cancers, the doctor had to do a radical hysterectomy. During surgery the doctor also found my right ovary had cancer which was same type as on the cervix. The pathology report showed the uterus had pre-cancerous cells only. Due to this confusing test result, we are not 100% sure what happened. Somehow cancer had spread to cervix and ovary, but not much to the uterus. So now, I am going to undergo chemo and radiation. My lymph nodes were negative for cancer. Also, I am HPV negative and my lifestyle is such that I will not get HPV.
I am hoping to be cancer free soon and resume my life. I was saddened by this sudden turn in my life, but I have received sufficient inspiration that I will make the best of my life. My family and friends gave me so much love and support which helped me beyond what words can describe !
Hope my story helps.
I am sorry to hear about all you young women having invasive CC. I too had Stage 1B2 with clear cell CC, which is usually not caused by HPV but because either you or your mother took the drug DES. My tumor was 5.5 cm & was confined to the cervix but I had lymph node involvement. I also had a different kind of uterine cancer.
I had normal PAPs until a year before they diagnosed me with CC but my gyn kept telling me it wasn't cancer. Even the doc I went to for a 2nd opinion told me it wasn't cancer & not to worry about it.
I had the radical hysterectomy the last of Feb 2008 & went through chemo/radiation in April/May/June of 2008. So far all my tests have come back normal & there are longer time intervals between my rechecks.
I can't say it has been a "piece of cake." I always have the concern of recurrence. Keeping busy with a lot of things does take my mind off of what I have gone through.
Thank you all for sharing. It has been so informative.
jay, i'm really sorry to hear you're going through all this. if you have adenocarcinoma cervical cancer, then hpv is the causative agent. you could 'test' negative from a standard hpv test, particularly at the point where you already have been diagnosed with cancer, and just like you had a 'normal' pap when you actually had cancer, and if they analyze the tumor removed, they would most probably find hpv. and, the only way your 'lifestyle' could prevent you from being exposed to hpv is if you've never engaged in any intimate sexual activities, or if both you and your husband have never engaged in any intimate sexual activities other than with each other.
Add to the discussion