Please Help - I have questions regarding treatment

[TimsWife]

Sorry if this posted the first time (I am new)

Hi- I am new to this site and I have so many questions, I hope someone can help. My husband was diagnosied 1 1/2 weeks ago with a Stage 1A Seminoma. He had his surgery the next day (we had a wonderful surgeon), but now here is our dilemma- Where do we go from here? We met with a Radiation Oncologist on Friday and he told us our options regarding radition. My Husband is terrified of Radiation- he hasd two familiy members- an aunt and grandmother that died of cancer and is scared of the secondary cancer. We are seeing a medical oncologist on Tuesday and we are very interested in the Carboplatin Treatment. Has anyone gone through this- it seems a better option than radiation. My husband has decied that his first choice is the Carboplatin one ose treatment is his first choice and then if it is not available or what have you then to do the Wait-And -See approach. How do you get through the wait and see approach? It sounds so hard to wait. ANd if the cancer comes back- how treatable is it. The Radation Oncologist told us he would wait and see if it was him. We have 3 small children and this is so hard. After a week and a half I am just dying iside. However, my husband is as strong as ever and has really been unbelievably positive. If anyone can help, please le tme know. Thank you!- Kelly

[Krokar]

Hello,
I should say first that your husband is lucky anyway while he catch his tumor at 1. stage so you could be relaxed a little bit while you have so many options you can choose. Not everybody has this.
For treatement it is important to know, that aprox. 70% of cases will be cured with surgery alone and your next steps will be defined on parameters : size of tumero, how old is your husband and if tumor already invade rare testis and spermatic cord. After you know this you can decide between radiation, Carboplatin or Survileance, You can be cured will any of them it depends what doctors sugest to your husband and how hi is cabaple to survive mentaly if he received no treatement and he just "wait and see".
You have many posts on this forum about Radiation, also about Carboplatin(Paraplatin). Yaou can read about this first and then ask some specific question. In the mean time you can check also treatement options on http://www.tc-cancer.com.

Mybe you can describe something more about Pathology report, blood tests,...

Regards,
Alex

[Scott]

Welcome Kelly (and Tim)!

The odds are in your favor that he's already cured. About 80% of stage I seminoma cases are cured by the orchiectomy alone. Surveillance is a good choice, as long as you faithfully make every appointment and are prepared for the possibility of future treatment in case of recurrence. There are lots of past posts on all of Tim's options in the "Treatment and Surveillance Questions and Reports" forum.

[TimsWife]

More Info. on Tim's Pathology Report

Hi- This is a follow-up on the first email. Here is his data from the pathology report:

Size of Tumor: 3.8 x 2.9
Spermatic Cord was not invaded
Pure Seminoma - Stage 1 A
Tim is 33 years old- no previous medical issues.
His CAT Scan and Lung X-Ray were both clear
His LDH was 220 H, BHCG was <2.0 a, Tumor Marker was 2.6 b

Thank you again for your support!

[Krokar]

Hello,
regarding data from pathology report I would consider Surveillance or Carboplatin, while here in Europe Carboplatin is exchanging Radiation treatement. I don't know where are you from but try to get as much more data about each treatement method.
I was treated with Carboplatin so if you need some advice about it you can send me some private message.

Regards,
Alex

[TimsWife]

Carboplatin or Paraplatin in the United States

Hi- As you can see by my previous posts we are having a hard time. Is the one or two dose Carboplatin available as a treatment option in the Untied States. I see a lot of posts for it in other countries. Please let us know. We do not see the medical oncologist until Tuesday and the wait is really tough.

Thank you!
-Kelly

[Scott]

Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I seminoma is not standard treatment in the United States. See this report and this report for more information.

If you do go that route, it would be best to be part of a clinical trial.

[TimsWife]

Clinical Trial?

Thanks for getting back to me so fast! How do clinical trials work? Is there more doctor visits invloved? This whole process is so confusing. I have bene on the computer almost constantly for 2 weeks and am still learning new things. Do you knwo anyone who has done a clinical trial? Do we have to wait for one to begin?

Waiting is the worst!
-Kelly

[Scott]

You can start at this link to learn more about what clinical trials are and how they work. They study new treatments in a controlled way and make sure the data is analyzed so that it helps future patients.

[Karen]

Waiting while fearing the worst DEFINATELY sucks....big time!! It was caught early and you are very lucky in that respect. If there are any "experts" nearby you may want a consultation, just to be sure you've dona all you can to confirm pathology and path forward. The guys on this site are absoultely wonderful for guidance and shared experiences and we are all here to support you and your husband. What "tumor marker" are you refering to?? AFP is not elevated in seminoma and only 10% of seminomas have elevated bHCG. Hang in there!!!

[TimsWife]

Tumor Markers

Hi- I looked at the pathology report again and it was normal. The doctor stated that the only thing that was a little elevated was the LDH and that can be due to anything. He told us that Tim's blood work looks good. How did you get through this? My family and friends are really tryign to understand and be there for us, but it is so hard. With our kids being so young, our lives have jsut changed forever and it is so hard to watch people living a normal life when we are just trying to get through this.

I so appreciate everyone's comments. Again the ironic thing here is that my husband is doing so well and I am trying to hang in there.

-Kelly

[Scott]

Cancer does change your life. Just know that down the road a little, you'll find that some of the changes may turn out to be for the better.

"Such as?" you may ask. I'm much better about getting exercise, about balancing the present and the future, and about helping others. My favorite perk is getting to meet incredibly interesting people, who I would otherwise never have known!

[Mom]

When my husband was diagnosed, I was a "stay at home mom." My son was five years old. My husband was six months into a new job (no laws to protect you then), we had moved and had a new house with a huge mortgage. Then #@!* happened. I thought I would have to raise my son alone. We didn't take out mortgage insurance. I went back to school. Gruelling. The happy ending is that my husband survived and 25 years later I head a department and make a six figure income. It would NEVER have happened if my husband didn't get TC. I was content to be a homemaker. So it does change your life, sometimes for the better. It put matters into perspective. You are lucky that your husband is doing so well and he will continue to do well. You are just starting out and are going to have a multitude of challenges, especially as your children grow. You need to stay strong and do something for yourself. Dianne

[huckchef]

there will be challenges and there will be jubilations! it will be up to you and your husband as to which you focus on! your husband sounds alot like myself as to not worry and staying strong through this. i deal alot with it internally so my wife doesnt see the tears. so don't let it seem as though he is not dealing with this in other ways. communication is a great healer in itself! it helps to cry!! i believe there will always be doubt as to what is next but i've decided to face that battle if and when it occurs. life will never be the same no matter what the cure or the treatment but focus on the positive and things will be better. my thoughts and prayers, brian.

[ballsup]

Hi TimsWife

I just wanted to let you know that I'm an old survivor of TC..I was diognosed back in 1980..My left testicle was removed and I had 4 weeks of radium.
The guys(and ladies) on this forum know so much and the information is wonderful.
I still to this day have no idea what sort of cancer I had..The fact is that treatments have come a long way since 1980 and although I can understand your worry I want you to know that Tim will come through this fine.
What your husband has sounds very simliar to me....I'm still here and feeling fine and it's 2006
Cheers and stay in touch
Paul