Doctors think my mum has ovaian cancer, why are they performing a biopsy first rather than going ahead with surgery?

[carter101]

Hi

My mum is 62 years old and has been back and forth to doctors with symptoms of bloating, trapped wind, burping, constipation, heartburn and sickness.  She was treated for IBS which wasn't working, her doctor then did an internal exam and said she was fairly certain she had a fibroid and booked her for an ultrasound (she was diagnosed with a fibroid about 10 years ago when she was having a polyp removed but was told to leave the fibroid alone as it would shrink).   Before the ultrasound however she became ill and felt really sick, tired and couldn't eat, we got her to the emergency department at hospital and on a blood test, and ultrasound and internal exam they said they were certain it was a tumour and ovarian cancer.  Obviously we are all scared and upset and worried about what the future holds.  

After this my mum had a CT scan and all results were sent to a cancer hospital for checking.  Upon this check they came back with they were not sure and now have to do a biopsy before getting her on any medication or operating.  As we are waiting for this biopsy and my poor mum is sat at home taking painkillers and very uncomfortable.  I am trying to find out why they would do a biopsy rather than just get this tumour removed.  Things I found just scared me more, saying things like the tumour is too big to operate so you get a biopsy.  Other sites say operating should be first step and the biopsy should be taken after. I just feel like we are waisting time and this thing could be growing inside her and nothing is being done to get it out.  

Im just really confused and would like some advice as to why they would not operate straight away and if it is often the case to do a biopsy before anything else and cause Im so worried about mum Im coming up with too many negative things.

Thanks for any help

Can I just add she had gallstone problem in Nov 08 and had her gallbladder and lots of stones removed in early May 09 by key hole, they did biopsy on the gallbladder after it was removed and this was OK.

[carter101]

Hi again,

Thanks for your support, we get more information this week at mums next appointment about treatment so hopefully we can go full steam ahead and get her chemo started soon.  Been a bad few days mums had lots of pains with her ankles swelling and so she finds walking hard and then she keeps getting painful trapped wind.  We have tried peppermint oil and tea to other remedies but nothing seems to work just so awful seeing her in pain.  She ended up feeling better after being sick.

At the moment its hard to see if she will ever feel well again.  x

[crecco]

carter,
   Once a biopsy ios done they should know exactly where the cancer is originating from. It is good that her Dr is checking her out and taking the precautions that he is.
I understand you wanting to try an not think about your moms illness, but there are a lot of well informed gals here that will help you all they can. You will find that it is good to have women to talk to that really know what you and your mom are going through.
  I hope that you were able to enjoy the holiday weekend, and please know that we are here if you need us.
   Chris

[carter101]

Thanks for your response, good to know they just need to check mums kidneys as part of the treatment.

We are even more confused now because the nurse said yesterday we are treating it as ovarian but may be stomach cancer, no idea where that has come from.  We will get on to asking more questions though like you suggested because we seem to be told half stories at the moment and are getting very confused. Mum has an appointment about chemo next week so hopefully find out more.

x

[MarlonT]

Hi,

You might want to check with a gyn/onco on your mum's condition.  Staging an OVCA is very important as this will determine what chemo she needs.  You also might want to ask what chemo drugs she is going to take and ask for a prognosis.  You have every right to know what's going on.  Don't settle for vague answers from your doctor.  Also, they need to check on the kidneys to make sure that it can take the chemo drug.  Chemo drugs like Carboplatin and Taxol are strong and might affect kidney function.  

Regards.

[carter101]

Hi people

Not looked at this site for a while been trying to distract myself from mum being ill.

Anyway the update is my my mum has got ovarian cancer, had tiny hope that they were wrong and the first treatment they are doing is chemo.  Consultant said its not an agressive chemo they are going to use which Im not sure is good or bad and he also says patients usually respond well to it, my sister said he sounded quite positive.  No idea about what stage or anything else at the moment, just a bit numb really, meant to be told later in the week but they seemed to have speeded things up and told us now.  They are also checking her kidneys too, does this normally happen a check on kidneys?

[shewrites]

This is Memorial Day weekend in the US.  The holiday is tomorrow.  So please don't be discouraged if you don't get much response to your note.  

Good luck to you and your mum.  Be sure you get real well acquainted with her doctors so that you get a sense of what they mean.  That will help in the long term.  

[carter101]

Hi, thanks for your responses guys.

They've only said now that results are inconclusive so Im puzzled as to why one doctor says its ovarian cancer then another team of doctors are wanting to wait and and do a biopsy which can take 2 weeks to get then more waiting for results.

Becky and Chris thats made feel better that you know they are known to do a biopsy first for different reasons. I did have in my mind that maybe an operation would be too soon after her gallbladder one, cause shes still healing from that.  Hope you are both doing well??

I just hate this waiting and wonder why they put people through it.  Am doing my best to stay upbeat for mum, she did say she won't be beaten which pleased me cause then I think shes getting some strength back from this nightmare.

Take care guys, I'll let you know how we go x

[crecco]

  I too am confused as to why if there is a tumor there, they don't remove it and run a biopsy on it first. But they may have their reasons. I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but was too sick to make it through surgery, so I had chemo first. That helped to shrink and dissolve most of the tumors making it easier to get all of it during surgery. Something like that may be what her Drs have in mind.
I know that the waiting is hard, but try to hang in there.
   Chris

[Tybear]

I'm not sure what the reasoning is but I too had a biopsy done first, even after my CT scan showed I had a "tummy full of tumors", as the doctor put it. I guess they wanted to know what they were dealing with before they went ahead and went in there. They also wanted to make sure I had a gyne/oncologist as opposed to a regular gyne, do the surgery so I could be properly staged and "de-bulked".
Again, I don't know why they are waiting if they are fairly certain it's ovarian cancer, but from what i know, many women have biopsies done prior to surgery.
I hope everything works out ok...
Becky

[Teresa222]

Your Mother's situation is puzzling to me too. What reason are they giving you for not operating right away? The tumor must be located near the cervix for them to be able to get a biopsy. I am so sorry your family is having to go through this. Let us know what happens.