Faith's Gynecologic Cancer Story
September 16, 2021
Faith, Hope, and Robotic Surgery
The warning signs of cancer can be as small as a spot of blood in bed. That should have been a wake-up call for Faith Skordinski, Germantown, as she wondered if it could be just a normal postmenopausal occurrence. “Except for that one incidence of a small amount of bleeding, Faith had no symptoms,” said Albert J. Steren, MD, Gynecologic Oncology. “But even the tiniest amount of bleeding in the menopausal age group needs evaluation. For women in this group, there should be no bleeding or spotting at all.”
Fortunately, Faith had always been proactive in her own health. She had regular routine checkups with her gynecologist and during her visit in 2018 she requested a sonogram. It came back clear but showed two benign polyps in her uterus. Since it was nothing urgent, Faith waited until her next checkup and then decided to have the polyps removed. That changed everything.
During the procedure to remove the polyps, Faith’s gynecologist saw a suspicious spot, likely cancer, on the uterus. She immediately referred Faith to Dr. Steren at Holy Cross Hospital.
“The first time I met Dr. Steren I was really anxious and fearful,” said Faith. “He was very kind and supportive as he explained that the kind of cancer I had was very serious and would require aggressive treatment.”
“I am so thankful to have the brilliant physicians, nurses and staff who put me at ease through the whole process," said Faith Skordinski, who remains cancer-free a year after completing her treatment.
Faith had uterine serous carcinoma — an uncommon form of endometrial cancer that typically arises in postmenopausal women. Luckily, the cancer was found very early when it was still in stage 1A. If Faith had not had the polyps removed, the cancer could have gone undetected until it was much more advanced. “Serous cancer has a very high rate of recurrence and progression of the disease. That is why, even though her cancer was found early, Faith needed very aggressive treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation,” said Dr. Steren.
The first phase of Faith’s treatment began with cancer staging procedures, including cancer removal, a complete hysterectomy to remove the uterus, ovaries and other surrounding structures, as well as lymph node dissection. “In the past, this was a big operation with a large incision,” said Dr. Steren, who performed Faith’s surgery through five very small incisions using the da Vinci® Xi robot at Holy Cross Hospital. “The benefits of robotic surgery are less pain, less loss of blood, and faster recovery for our patients.”
“Holy Cross Health’s robotic surgery program has taken us so far forward in the surgical care of women for almost all gynecologic surgeries, especially for uterine and early ovarian cancer. With advanced robotic technology, we can perform major surgery in a more precise, minimally invasive approach, enabling most women to go home the same day of their procedure,” said Dr. Steren.
“I was home by 8:30 p.m. the same day as my surgery and had no pain whatsoever,” said Faith. “The next morning I expected to be in pain, but I wasn’t. I never needed to take any prescription narcotics. It may have helped that I was in good shape. I’m conscientious about doing 10,000 steps a day and working out at a gym. The day after surgery I did 5,000 steps. The second day I was back to doing 10,000.”
“Because her recovery was faster, Faith was able to start cancer treatment much sooner – a critical benefit of robotic surgery,” said Dr. Steren. “After traditional open surgery, her recovery would have been longer and she would have had to wait six weeks or more before beginning treatment.”
Dr. Steren teamed with Paul Thambi, MD, Oncology, for Faith’s treatment plan, which consisted of six sessions of chemotherapy, followed by three sessions of radiation therapy. She continues to see Dr. Steren and Dr. Thambi on a regular basis for follow-up and monitoring.
“In retrospect, I would never have imagined how smoothly the surgery would go or that I would feel so well,” said Faith, who remains cancer-free a year after completing her treatment. “I am so thankful to have the brilliant physicians, nurses and staff who put me at ease through the whole process.”
Watch Albert Steren, MD, medical director of gynecologic oncology, discuss screening, diagnosis, and treatment options for gynecologic cancers.
The Future of Robotic Surgery Is at Holy Cross Health – Now!
Holy Cross Health’s commitment to the most advanced surgical techniques and technologies has made Holy Cross a regional hub for robotic thoracic, gynecologic, colorectal and bariatric surgery. As of April 14, our orthopedic surgeons at Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital are now equipped with the new ROSA® Knee System for robot-assisted total knee replacements. Continuous investments like this offer significant benefits to our patients and surgeons alike. Ongoing recruitment and training of more surgeons in our core specialties, as well as the addition of new specialties to our robotic surgical offerings, mean the ability to provide the highest quality surgical care so that our community members will be able to achieve their best quality of life now and long into the future.
Continuing to Expand Our Robotic Capabilities
- Trumpf Medical TruSystem™ 7000dV Operating Room Table designed for integrated motion with the da Vinci® Xi surgical robot for optimal access to the target anatomy for faster and more efficient procedures for our patients.
- The Zimmer Biomet ROSA® Knee System for total knee replacement offers less discomfort, less scarring, faster recovery times and optimal outcomes for each patient.
- Holy Cross Hospital was the first in Montgomery County to offer robotic surgery using the da Vinci surgical robot in 2008.
- In 2017, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital became the first community hospital in Montgomery County to offer robotic surgery using the latest, most advanced da Vinci XI technology.
