-
Looking for advice on Throat issues during radiation
I had surgery for Stage III invasive lobular cancer of the left breast. There was also a Stage 1 small cancer in the right breast which was only detectable by mri. Mastectomy and reconstruction of the left breast via LD flap and lumpectomy of the right breast was performed. Oncotype very low so only radiation was…
-
Partial breast vs. whole breast radiation for left breast
Hi There, I'm wondering if anyone has direct or indirect experience with partial breast radiation vs whole breast radiation for the left breast in terms of short and long term side effects. I'm a candidate for partial but I'd like to do whatever is least invasive especially for my heart and lungs. I'm also curious if…
-
February 2023 Radiation
I just had my pre-radiation therapy mapping session today. I have "pretty" red and blue marks on my skin, and they made a back cast made today to aid in getting me set up in the same position for daily treatment. They told me it might be a week or so before I am scheduled to start and to be careful not wash off. Is anyone…
-
Started Radiation March 2023?
Hi, I'm Melissa and this is my second go around with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 9/2015 with stage 2 IDC. I had double mastectomy followed by chemo. I took Tamoxifen for 1 year, followed by 5 years of AI. Fast forward to Aug 2022 and I was diagnosed with a recurrence. Since I didn't have radiation last time, was wanting to…
-
Rads + Lx Doesnt Improve Overall Survival forCertain Older Women
Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival for Certain Older Women Feb 21, 2023 For women ages 65 and older diagnosed with small, early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, radiation after lumpectomy didn't improve overall survival. Read more...
-
Shorter Radiation Schedule Less Likely For Black Cancer Patients
Shorter Radiation Schedule Less Likely For Black Cancer Patients Feb 20, 2023 Black people diagnosed with breast or prostate cancer were less likely to receive radiation on a shorter, or hypofractionated, schedule. Read more...
-
Post-treatment Edema vs Chronic Lymphedema?
Just wondering if other people have had this experience. I'm 3 months out from lumpectomy/SNLB (2 nodes), 1.5 months out from 20 radiation treatments. One thing of note is that I have had bouts of extreme anxiety that I needed to treat with Lexapro for several months, prior to my BC diagnosis. Anyway, my question is: the…
-
Deleted
Deleted
-
Starting radiation in January 2023?
i start radiation on 1/3/22 and am interested in connecting with others who are on a similar schedule. I just finished chemo snd was very lucky to have only modest side effects. Now dreading radiation even though almost everyone says it is easier than chemo.
-
will be starting soon...now I'm nervous
Hi All. This whole thing still has me in disbelief. I seem to just be trudging along the path. and hoping. I am so very lucky, it was early, it was small, two surgeries but now have good margins. So the next step is radiation and talk to oncologist about hormone therapy? I am still learning terminology, still confused,…
-
Deleted
Deleted
-
Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival.
Radiation After Lumpectomy Doesn't Improve Overall Survival Nov 22, 2022 Treating early-stage breast cancer with radiation along with chemotherapy and hormonal therapy after lumpectomy lowers recurrence risk in the same breast, but doesn't improve overall survival. Read more...
-
Share inspiring messages/photos to help others
We've collected so many of your tips to preparing for and getting through radiation treatment, and are working on putting it in a PDF to share with you. To add to this we were wondering if you had a short "words of wisdom/inspiration" that you could share here to include as well. Also, any photos of you during treatment?!
-
10 years post radiation--breast changes
I had lumpectomy, chemo and radiation 10 years ago. My breast has been slightly smaller and denser since treatment but not terribly noticeable. Since then I've had 3 more biopsies on that breast (all benign, thankfully!). I've noticed in the last year that my breast has shrunk significantly and become much, much more…
-
Post-mastectomy radiation after pathologic complete response ?
Hi everyone - I'm trying to choose whether to have PMRT. I am in a grey area. I was node positive (probably 2 nodes), but had complete pathological response to chemo. Surgery found no cancer in breast or nodes. No one knows whether PMRT helps or harms patients like me. The guidelines go back and forth, but PMRT is the…
-
Fall 2015 Rads
A shy hello to all the lovely participants on these boards! I was reminded by someone starting an 'August rads' thread that there may be others out there undergoing radiation this fall, and thought to start a thread for that/us/anyone who's interested. My sim/official intake's on August 26th, and I'll start rads on August…
-
Heart damage from radiation?
I had radiation on my left breast 11 years ago when I was 41 and am concerned about potential heart damage. At the time, I asked my radiation oncologist because the cancer was so close to my heart, and he blew me off and said the way they do it now doesn't cause damage. This was February/March 2010. I do not have any…
-
Post radiotherapy damage
Does anyone have damage from radiation? I have had two rounds of 30 doses of radiotherapy to my left chest: 2013 post lumpectomy for DCIS and 2018 post mastectomy for TNBC. As it was 5 years between my RO said it was ok. I now regret taking this course of action. Since my last round of radiation, I have had two recurrences…
-
Radiation after Mastectomy
Hi all. I recently had my left breast mastectomy 5 weeks ago. I had a Pathological complete response to treatment so I am very blessed. I am now struggling with the decision to do radiation or not. The radiologist says it is my decision and if I do it it’s like an insurance. I was looking at the side Effects and saw that…
-
Starting Radiation October 2021
Hello! Wanted to get a thread started for October radiation, I've met with my Radiation Oncologist and I'll be receiving 30 treatments. I also had my simulation this week and have my markers in place. Technically I start September 30, but what's one more day!
-
Need advice on radiation decision
Hi everyone, My mom, 75 y/o, was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma Grade 1. She did a lumpectomy and decided against dissecting her sentinel nodes. Now we have a dilemma of whether to do: 1) radiation on a full breast only OR 2) full breast including axillary nodes OR 3) just a small part of the breast where the…
-
Radiation recovery
Hi I know there is another thread but I thought, since it is 60 pages old, I would start a new one for those of us just finishing radiation. My hope is that we can discuss remedies to avoid, tight skin, discuss the emotional side of being at this point of treatment, continue to support one another and keep in touch.
-
Could you recommend a good radiation oncologist in MSK/Sloan?
Any pink sisters treated in MSK/Sloan? I would like your recommendation of a good radiation oncologist! My BS recommented someone in NYC. As I live in NJ, I feel impossible to go to NYC everyday. I'm close to MSK Basking Ridge, however, the radiation oncologists seems very young. Also, it is possible/normal to seek second…
-
Missing radiation treatments and increased recurrence of cancer.
I had my first 4 treatments last week, then the machine broke. I had no treatment on Friday or Monday. So 4 treatments and then 4 days no treatment. I was reading a few statistics regarding missing treatments, and according to some data, missing even 1 treatment increases the risk of recurrence. My concern is after only 4…
-
Implant failure after radiation
I had a double mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction. I will need to have radiation, since there was cancer in one of my lymph nodes. Has anyone out here been through this? I'd like to know what the percentage of implant failure exists out here with radiation - not from research reports. I would also like to…
-
Radiation Dermatitis severe
Hello Everyone, I was diagnosed with a reoccurrence after 7 years. I had a lymph node dissection on July 8th. I finished 16 rounds of radiation on September 23. I started to develop burns by end of week 2. It has gotten progressively worse. I have seen my radiologist twice since because all the "treatments" aren't working.…
-
Radiation Dermatitis severe
Hello Everyone, I was diagnosed with a reoccurrence after 7 years. I had a lymph node dissection on July 8th. I finished 16 rounds of radiation on September 23. I started to develop burns by end of week 2. It has gotten progressively worse. I have seen my radiologist twice since because all the "treatments" aren't working.…
-
Does radiation after lumpectomy usually include the chest wall?
Hi - I'm confused - I am in a situation where I need to choose whether to stick with a lumpectomy, or just go forward with a mastectomy. They want to give me radiation either way. I want to minimize the dose to lungs and heart (family history). So I'm trying to understand whether radiation is less intensive or more…
-
NSABP B-51 trial, for radiation after pCR in the lymph nodes?
Has anyone heard of this trial? It's for people who were initially node-positive, but ended up having a pCR after chemo, to see whether nodal radiation or post-mastectomy radiation is really necessary. The details are here: https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2019.37.1... I know it's closed to newcomers now, but…
-
What questions to ask?
I have my radiation oncology on Monday. What questions should I have ready for the appointment?