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I'll give you a potted history to date first of all.
Diagnosed with TC on 7th March this year (embyonal, chorio, seminoma and teratoma), with 3 cm RP mass. AFP was about 550, and bHCG about 2600. Completed 3xBEP and markers normalised in a manner consistent with a good response to chemotherapy.
After chemotherapy my mass had shrunk to about 2 cm, so they kept it under surveillance for 3 months to make sure that it wasn't just necrotic tissue that was going to dissapear over time.
Well, that brings us to today. The mass has now shrunk to 1.2 cm, but the CT scan revealed that there was a less dense patch in the middle, and they believed it was likely becoming cystic with residual mature teratoma. They did consider leaving it another 3 months to see if it shrunk further, but they told me the best option was to now take it out.
This was for two reasons. Firstly, if it was turning cystic, the operation would be much more difficult if the mass grew much larger in 3 months time, and secondly, in the unlikley event any live cancer cells remain at this stage they are most likely to be in the centre of the mass, and therefore the removal of the mass could be curative in its own right.
Now onto the operation itself. I have many concerns about this surgery given it is very invasive. Now, I don't know if the surgeon was just going easy on me, but what he told me really did allay my fears.
The surgeon has done nearly 400 postchemo RPLNDs and told me to forget everything I've read on the internet about 6 hour operations, as he'll have the mass out in 20 minutes. He'll poke around everywhere and remove anything as necessary, then close me up. He illustrated the size of the incision, which seemed to me about 8 inches.
I queried this having read the stuff on the internet, and he explained that in some cases with a large mass the incisions and surgery would be a lot larger and longer respectively, but with only a half inch of residual mass, it was going to be very straight forward surgery. I'd also be home after 4-5 days and if I have a desk job could possibly return after 2 weeks. He also said with such a small mass nerve sparing should not be an issue and any complications were unlikely.
How does this compare with those of you who've had RPLNDs for removal of a small mass?
I was always really worried about the possibility of a RPLND, and whilst I still am, I just want the b*gger out now. If they find anything untoward then the surgery will be highly beneficial, and if they don't then at least I know in my mind that there's no cancer left in the node.
I'm hoping this surgery will give me a degree of closure on this very difficult patch of my life.
Davie
Diagnosed with TC on 7th March this year (embyonal, chorio, seminoma and teratoma), with 3 cm RP mass. AFP was about 550, and bHCG about 2600. Completed 3xBEP and markers normalised in a manner consistent with a good response to chemotherapy.
After chemotherapy my mass had shrunk to about 2 cm, so they kept it under surveillance for 3 months to make sure that it wasn't just necrotic tissue that was going to dissapear over time.
Well, that brings us to today. The mass has now shrunk to 1.2 cm, but the CT scan revealed that there was a less dense patch in the middle, and they believed it was likely becoming cystic with residual mature teratoma. They did consider leaving it another 3 months to see if it shrunk further, but they told me the best option was to now take it out.
This was for two reasons. Firstly, if it was turning cystic, the operation would be much more difficult if the mass grew much larger in 3 months time, and secondly, in the unlikley event any live cancer cells remain at this stage they are most likely to be in the centre of the mass, and therefore the removal of the mass could be curative in its own right.
Now onto the operation itself. I have many concerns about this surgery given it is very invasive. Now, I don't know if the surgeon was just going easy on me, but what he told me really did allay my fears.
The surgeon has done nearly 400 postchemo RPLNDs and told me to forget everything I've read on the internet about 6 hour operations, as he'll have the mass out in 20 minutes. He'll poke around everywhere and remove anything as necessary, then close me up. He illustrated the size of the incision, which seemed to me about 8 inches.
I queried this having read the stuff on the internet, and he explained that in some cases with a large mass the incisions and surgery would be a lot larger and longer respectively, but with only a half inch of residual mass, it was going to be very straight forward surgery. I'd also be home after 4-5 days and if I have a desk job could possibly return after 2 weeks. He also said with such a small mass nerve sparing should not be an issue and any complications were unlikely.
How does this compare with those of you who've had RPLNDs for removal of a small mass?
I was always really worried about the possibility of a RPLND, and whilst I still am, I just want the b*gger out now. If they find anything untoward then the surgery will be highly beneficial, and if they don't then at least I know in my mind that there's no cancer left in the node.
I'm hoping this surgery will give me a degree of closure on this very difficult patch of my life.
Davie
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