Positive pelvic wash with endometrial adenocarcinoma stage 1A, grade 1
I was diagnosed with stage 1A, grade 1 endometrial cancer in Nov-2024. Performed pelvic wash which was positive for adenocarcinoma. Prior to surgery cancer cells were only in my uterus. I experienced retrograde dissemination during my radial hysterectomy. I now have endometrial cells in my pelvic cavity.
I was told this doesn’t change the staging. The cancer cells are in there. Yes, slow growing but they will multiply!!! Vaginal assessment every 3 months will only see reoccurrence from this assessment view. How do they assess pelvic cavity where the cancer cells are present? Waiting until I’m symptomatic & they treating will not yield the best outcome! Has anyone else experienced this?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Gynecologic Cancers Support Group.
I share your frustration, girly2025, because I was also diagnosed in November 2024 with FIGO Grade 1 endometrial cancer. At that time I did not have any Stage determination. My hysterectomy was in December, and that included the pelvic washing, which came back not positive and not negative, but "Atypical, rare epithelial cells present." I have no feedback from the oncologist until this coming Tuesday, but what I'm reading says that this is an indeterminate diagnosis that should not influence the staging. I will post more on Tuesday after the consult.
FWIW, My pathologies from the hysterectomy showed no abnormalities or malignancies in any lymph nodes, tubes, ovaries, myometrium, or serosa, and tumor is 3cm at largest point with a histologic grade of FIGO grade 1 -- and yet with all that good news, I have 83% invasion of the myometrium and low but present involvement in the cervical stroma. That bumps me up to at least a Stage 2, at which point I do think the washing results have relevance and might be a problem in the future.
Were you recommended for chemo or radiation? I'm sure I'll have to do the 3 month assessments as well. Are those done with the oncologist or your regular Gyne?
Wishing you the best.