Stage Right

Mom's visit with the oncologist today was very enlightening and even a little encouraging. Dr. Shull went through the pathology report very thoroughly, line by line and explained to mom what each thing meant, then told her that based on all that was found in surgery and all that was in the pathology report, he would classify the tumor as a stage IIc, not a stage III. We had mis-read the report, thinking that it stated the tumor stage when it actually did not. A stage II tumor means that it is confined to the pelvic region. It is classified as a IIc because the cell wash results came back positive, which means there are cancerous cells that are floating in the abdominal fluid which circulates all about the abdominal cavity, which increases the possibility of tumors forming in other parts of the abdomen. If macroscopic tumors had been found in the abdominal region, the tumor would have been classified as a stage IIIc.
Dr. Shull went over some of the available conventional treatment options, so Mom has more information to work with, but she is still considering all options for treatment and will continue to gather info. She will not need to make any decisions about treatment for at least a couple more weeks to give her body enough time to heal from the surgery.