Chemo or Radiation or monitor??

[lpknowles]

My husband was recently diagnosed with TC and had the surgery to remove it. It came back classic semenoma-stage 1. It was 3 cm. We are going to oncologist this Wed. to see what they recommend for the next step-any suggestions-what is there to know about the new chemo for tc??? Thanks!

[tlh]

ipknowles,

Unfortunately, welcome to the forum. Many things will determine the type of treatment for your husband. I am 39 and also had typical seminoma stage 1 (1 cm tumor). The pathology report should have also given factors such as evidence of vascular invasion, blood tumor markers or was it confined to the testicle only. Age will also be a factor in treatment. If your husband hasn't had it yet. he will get a CT scan to look at his lymph nodes as well as a chest X-Ray to make sure there isn't any evidence of spread.

If you haven't visited the TCRC site yet, you should visit it to do some research on treatment available: http://tcrc.acor.org/index.html.

I spoke to my doctor about the single dose chemo treatment and he really didn't have enough info to give any guidance on it. (My rad onco has been doing this for 27 years) I believe this is mostly practiced overseas.

If everything points to the tumor being confined to the testicle, your husband will probably be given a choice of surveillance or low-dose radiation. I opted for the Rad just for the peace of mind. I did have a hard time deciding if raising the odds against recurrence were worth the risk of being subjected to Radiation. So far I'm 5 days into it (out of a total of 15 days) and I don't regret my decision a bit.

Keep a positive attitude. You both will get through this. Seminoma is the easiest of the two types to treat and Stage 1 means you caught it early. I'm sure you will find out that there are many people here that are pulling for you and your husband.

[Scott]

Good information and advice from tlh.

Check out page TEST-3 of the National Comprehensive Care Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Testicular Cancer for confirmation of standard treatment protocols.

[lpknowles]

thanks

Thank you for the advice. My husband is 36 and the pathology did say it was well contained and no vascular invasion but I think his was 3 cm. We have two children so it's just so much to digest right now. We are going to 1st oncologist tomorrow and we are going to Duke next week. I read to have two people read the pathology slides but I am not sure how to move forward on that. Thanks for the support and I will let you know how the appointments go. Best wishes on your continued success with radiation!!

[tlh]

No vascular invasion is Great News! 3cm is not that big. The Rad doc will probably talk to you about sperm banking ( I also have two children and don't plan on any more so this wasn't a huge issue for my wife and I). Also, because of your husbands age and the fact there was no vascular invasion that makes him an excellent candidate for surveillance. I agonized over the decision of Rad vs Surveillance and it really came down to personal preference. I'm really not the type who can sit around waiting until my next checkup to make sure everything is ok. That's why I chose Rad. After weighing the pros and cons I felt I had to take a more proactive treatment. Only time will tell if my logic paid off!! Good luck with the appt and keep us posted.

[lpknowles]

Thanks!

THanks for the encouragement. I will let you know how the appointment goes. I have a boy and a girl and am 34 myself so I don't think steriltiy is an issue but you just don't know how you will feel a few years down the road... His health- for him to be well for the 2 children we do have is MOST important right now. I am sure I will be asking advice and your feelings about Radiation next...

[dadmo]

lpknowles:
Perhaps you and your husband should consider sperm banking. If nothing else it will give you one less thing to worry about.