Rachel Beth Wellner

Thank you for your question. We do know that most cervical cancer has its root in the HPV virus. This is not to say that there can't be other factors. Additionally, many people who have contracted the HPV virus (it's a very common virus) don't necessarily go on to develop cervical cancer. I would need more information regarding what the pathology analysis of your diagnosis exactly revealed before saying definitively that you had contracted the HPV virus in the past- most likely, however, the HPV virus did play a role and remained dormant in you. For a more comprehensive answer specific to your case, I recommend that you visit a GYN-oncologist to help you better understand causes of and treatment options for your diagnosis. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Thank you for your question, and I'm happy to try to answer it. Without the benefit of seeing you in person, I'm going to be taking an educated guess. Fatigue might just be part of a less serious condition, like chronic fatigue syndrome or your body needing to rest after what you've been through. I'm responsible for imparting to you what the worst case scenario would be, and what I think you're most concerned about-- is your cancer recurring. Of course, there's a possibility that your cancer could recur and affect other organs in your body that may explain fatigue. Fatigue is not usually what we see with breast cancer recurrence, but it's still a possibility. I recommend that you go see your oncologist and have him/her do some cancer markers and/or a PET/CT scan to rule out the possibility of distant metastases. I'm not trying to frighten you- just encouraging you to rule out this possibility before seeking lesser causes of your fatigue. Hopefully, the tests will all be negative and you might be looking at a less significant cause of your fatigue, like anemia, low thyroid, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. Your doctor can order a full lab panel to start ruling out obvious causes of your fatigue. I hope this is helpful- I'd rather you be proactive now and confront what may be causing your fatigue so you can find a resolution. Please feel free to ask any additional questions. Best, Rachel B. Wellner, MD MPH FACS

Thank you for your question- I'm a breast cancer surgeon, so lung cancer isn't my specialty. That being said, there have been considerable developments in chemotherapy for all cancer subtypes, and the horror stories of 20 years ago have changed. Chemotherapy is never a fun experience- it generally causes profound fatigue by the end of treatment, gastrointestinal symptoms, and hair loss. The serious infections we used to see with chemotherapy are generally mitigated by a product called neurogenic, which stimulates the grown of your own white blood cells to effectively prevent and combat infection. Please consult a lung cancer specialist or pulmonary oncologist for more specifics, as again, this is not my field, but I tried to give you some generalities about how chemotherapy has changed in recent years. I wish you all of the best for a speedy recovery. Warm regards, Rachel B. Wellner, MD MPH FACS