Last Stages of Pelvic Cancer

Pelvic cancer is a broad term applying to a host of different cancers occurring in the pelvic region. While individual signs and symptoms vary in accordance with the type of cancer you've been diagnosed with, the late stages of the disease bring common symptoms and solutions. Before exploring that, it's important to understand a little bit more about pelvic cancer.

What Is Pelvic Cancer?

• The pelvis is a bony cavity where the legs and hips join to the lower region of the body. Pelvic cancer is an umbrella term applied to any cancer occurring in the pelvis. This includes cervical, ovarian, bladder, uterine, vaginal, endometrial and prostate cancers. Symptoms of pelvic cancer include pain in the pelvic region, incontinence, lumps, vaginal bleeding, enlarged lymph nodes, abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea and vomiting. Be sure to talk with your doctor about all of your symptoms.

How Are Stages Determined?

• Staging is the term used to describe the severity of a patient's cancer. It's determined based on the size of the tumor and if it has spread to other areas of the body. Based on scientific knowledge of the way that cancer develops, determining the stage of the cancer can help doctors determine a prognosis and treatment plan. There is a complex system for determining the stage of a tumor (the TNM system determines size of tumor, how much it has spread to lymph nodes and whether it has metastasized), but the basics are stages zero through four.

The Stages

• In stage zero, the cancer is early and is contained to the layer of cells in which it started. This is commonly referred to as "carcinoma in situ." Stages one through three indicate progression of the disease, size of the tumor, and possible spread to organs that are adjacent to the primary tumor and/or to the lymph notes. Stage four indicates that the disease has spread to other areas of the body and usually cannot be controlled or cured with treatment.

Advanced Cancer

• In the last stages of pelvic cancer, your doctor has likely told you that your condition is not responding to treatment or that he has run out of treatment options. It's important to remember that the disease affects everyone differently and many people with late-stage cancer (or advanced cancer) live longer than expected. At this point, you want to learn everything that you can about your options, continue to receive quality medical care, reach out to family, friends and support groups for additional support and make the most of every day.

Now What?

• Many with advanced cancer continue to pursue treatment. Be sure that you are aware of the goal of the treatment and the intended affect along with any side effects. Palliative care includes treating or preventing symptoms of the cancer as well as any side effects from treatments. This is an important focus of your treatment plan at all stages of cancer but becomes particularly crucial in the later stages ("comfort measures"). The late stages of pelvic cancer vary in accordance with what type of cancer (prostate, ovarian, bladder) you have been diagnosed with but all share some common effects like pain, fatigue, nausea and anxiety.

What to Expect in the Last Stages

• In the late stages of pelvic cancer, you will likely begin to become weaker and experience more fatigue. Cancer affects the way that our bodies are able to convert food into energy and prevents your body from working as it normally does. Appetite reduction, weight loss and an aging appearance are all common to late-stage pelvic cancer. In the last days, you will likely sleep quite a bit and feel very weak. The changes happening in your body will likely affect your mental status also---you may become confused, have dream-like thoughts, and even some hallucinations. The fatigue and sleepy feeling usually develops into a coma. At this point, you're not eating or drinking. Once you stop drinking, you'll likely only continue for a matter of days.

Considerations

• It's important to remember that everyone experiences slightly different symptoms and reactions just as everyone's cancer responds differently to treatment. This is not intended as a blue-print for what the late stages of pelvic cancer will certainly bring, but as an idea of what to expect. It's crucial to surround yourself with good support and quality medical care.