Finding Out You Have Cancer

 

The tests and scans.

The difficulty in treating cancer is in determining where it is, how much there is, and what kind of cancer cell is causing a ruckus. 

Finding out if you have cancer is the first step, and the sooner you figure this out, the better your outcome will be. So, if your primary doctor suggests you get cancer screening for some part your body, take them up on it. I had no symptoms of prostate cancer, but my annual PSA test with my primary revealed a problem. 

After the doctor determines you have cancer, often through a mammogram for breast cancer for women or a PSA blood test for prostate cancer for men, you will go through a variety of tests and scans to determine the where, the what, and the how much, like the MRI, CT, bone, and PET.

For men with prostate cancer, if the PSA blood test shows something, then the doctor does a DRE (digital rectal exam), followed by a biopsy of tissue from the prostate to determine the aggressiveness and distribution of the cancer. Then they will probably do a PSMA-PET scan to locate the cancer’s exact location. Is it still contained within the prostate, or has it seeped out into the seminal vesicles, lymph nodes, or bones?

After all your treatments are done that are designed to kill the cancer (surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy), you understandably want to know if you’re cured. Here’s the thing. The doctors don’t know. They do not have a test or scan that is precise enough to locate individual cancer cells, so you have to wait to see if anything starts growing again. For men with prostate cancer, they will need two years of good PSA results, done every three months, before doctors will say you’re cured.

I’m no longer sure that “cure” is the right word to use. The more I read, the more it seems that once you get cancer, cancer will always be in your thoughts, even if doctors say you’re cured, because prostate cancer comes back in 30% of prostate men who have been successfully treated. Recurrence rates for breast cancer are similar. “Remission” might be a more accurate word, or “for now.”

I’m currently in my waiting period, and I hope my PSA doesn’t do anything ugly. It did jump four months ago, but a subsequent test was okay, so I don’t know if my countdown period has begun. Ask me in two years. Until then, I will live my life in three-month segments and try not to think about, or speculate about, cancer at all. After each good test, I know I have three more months to live without any treatments. 

For all of us, those with cancer and those without, every day is a day that we have the opportunity to do something significant. We can help others who are struggling. We can call up friends and renew old friendships. We can take a long walk through the woods or along the river. We can celebrate the good things of life that are still around us.

Even if you aren’t feeling well today, find something, anything, that you enjoy. Do not waste the hours, no matter how many days or years you do, or do not, have left.