Do my grandmother's symptoms indicate cancer spread?

Question

Hello doctor,

I hope you are well. I am reaching out for your advice about my grandmother’s health. She is 68 and had a hysterectomy for endometrial cancer about eight months ago.

Lately, she has had lower back pain, a feeling of heaviness, and sometimes numbness in her legs. We are worried these symptoms could mean the cancer has spread, or they might be side effects from her surgery. When she had her operation, her oncologist said the cancer was stage 2.

Do you think she should have more tests at this point?
Should we also be thinking about treatments like radiation or chemotherapy?

Thank you for your help and advice.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I hope you are doing well. I also wish your grandmother continued good health and a full recovery.

At this stage, approximately eight months after surgery, it is appropriate to proceed with an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the abdomen and pelvis to assess for her recurrence or spread. The results will guide her treatment plan, including whether chemo or radiotherapy is needed. Although follow-up scans are sometimes done earlier, it is reasonable to perform the MRI now and base further management on its findings.

If imaging shows no evidence of spread, localized radiation therapy may be sufficient. If lymph nodes or nearby tissues are involved, chemotherapy may be recommended. Given her previous stage, a combined approach with chemoradiotherapy may also be considered as a preventive measure.

Her current symptoms include

Back pain.
Feeling of heaviness.
Numbness in the legs.

These are common after major pelvic surgery and do not necessarily indicate disease progression. However, imaging is important to rule out any underlying concerns and guide next steps.

A follow-up review is recommended in seven days to assess progress and discuss the results.

I hope this clarifies your concerns.

Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.

Thank you.