no radiation no tamoxifen

surfslikeagirl

I was wondering if there were any breast cancer survivors out there without having radiation therapy or tamoxifen after lumpectomy?

tlmac

Perhaps some additional information would help one of the women identify with your situation. Was your cancer ER+ and you're choosing not to take Tamoxifen or were you ER-? Was your mass so small with clear nodes that your medical team felt radiation was unnecessary or did you choose not to have radiation despite their advice?

surfslikeagirl

tlmac said:

Perhaps some additional information would help one of the women identify with your situation. Was your cancer ER+ and you're choosing not to take Tamoxifen or were you ER-? Was your mass so small with clear nodes that your medical team felt radiation was unnecessary or did you choose not to have radiation despite their advice?

Thank you, tlmac. My cancer tumor was grade I, T1a(4x2x2mm )MoNo,ER+. Tamoxifen and radiation were recommended. I am not taking Tamoxifen, because I am sensitive to medication and afraid of side effects. I tried radiation therapy, had 5 treatments. After each treatment, I would experience sunstroke-like headache, scratchy throat, fatigue. During the treatment, I felt the heat in my breast. My radiation oncologist recommended that I take a break and go see a counselor for psycological issues. I have decided to discontinue radiation therapy. Now my surgeon recommends mastecomy, which is very reasonable. I will probably have mastectomy at some point in the near future. Am I putting myself in a big risk by not having mastectomy right away? Recurrence rate in my case is 5 % with radiation, 15 % without radiation. I would appreciate any advice and comments.

tlmac

surfslikeagirl said:

Thank you, tlmac. My cancer tumor was grade I, T1a(4x2x2mm )MoNo,ER+. Tamoxifen and radiation were recommended. I am not taking Tamoxifen, because I am sensitive to medication and afraid of side effects. I tried radiation therapy, had 5 treatments. After each treatment, I would experience sunstroke-like headache, scratchy throat, fatigue. During the treatment, I felt the heat in my breast. My radiation oncologist recommended that I take a break and go see a counselor for psycological issues. I have decided to discontinue radiation therapy. Now my surgeon recommends mastecomy, which is very reasonable. I will probably have mastectomy at some point in the near future. Am I putting myself in a big risk by not having mastectomy right away? Recurrence rate in my case is 5 % with radiation, 15 % without radiation. I would appreciate any advice and comments.

Hi surfs, From what you've written, you had a small node negative slow growing cancer that was confined to the breast. With regards to treatment, we all react so differently and I can understand, completely your desire for quality of life. We have no way of knowing which women will recur, even with treatment. Your decision to delay mastectomy surgery needs to be discussed with your surgeon. He should be able to give you a safe time frame based on the characteristics and growth pattern of your cancer. Tamoxifen comes with it's side effects which are worse for some than for others. A good friend of mine, battling a second breast cancer in 16 years, is ER+ but has chosen not to take any drugs, much to her doctor's dismay. She's comfortable with the risk and prefers it to the misery of a drug that she's certain will create more problems than it solves. I had a mastectomy to avoid radiation. I asked my surgeon when they would schedule and he said he wanted it done within 3 weeks due to the high grade of my cancer. Talk to your doctor about it and make sure you are current on all follow-up visits. We need to make choices that are best for us. Weigh the risks and decide which ones are easier for you to live with. Best of luck.
terri

surfslikeagirl

tlmac said:

Hi surfs, From what you've written, you had a small node negative slow growing cancer that was confined to the breast. With regards to treatment, we all react so differently and I can understand, completely your desire for quality of life. We have no way of knowing which women will recur, even with treatment. Your decision to delay mastectomy surgery needs to be discussed with your surgeon. He should be able to give you a safe time frame based on the characteristics and growth pattern of your cancer. Tamoxifen comes with it's side effects which are worse for some than for others. A good friend of mine, battling a second breast cancer in 16 years, is ER+ but has chosen not to take any drugs, much to her doctor's dismay. She's comfortable with the risk and prefers it to the misery of a drug that she's certain will create more problems than it solves. I had a mastectomy to avoid radiation. I asked my surgeon when they would schedule and he said he wanted it done within 3 weeks due to the high grade of my cancer. Talk to your doctor about it and make sure you are current on all follow-up visits. We need to make choices that are best for us. Weigh the risks and decide which ones are easier for you to live with. Best of luck.
terri

Thank you, tlmac. Your response means so much to me. You are my life saver. I realized I never mentioned my lumpectomy surgeries. I had my first lumpectomy surgery on Dec.6 2005 after ultrasound results came back negative, second surgery on Dec. 13th to get a good margin and have Sentinel node biopsy. As I look back, I was in shock and making choices spontaneously without enough knowledge or research. Moreover, how I would react to radiation therapy was unpredictable. My next appointment with my surgeon is coming up in a couple of days. I might consider getting a second opinion this time. My left breast(healthy side) is due for annual exam and I am concerned about a small lump. I can't help but start thinking what a big impact it will be on me in case of double mastectomy. I plan to go back to work very soon so that I can reassure myself and get ready for another surgery if needed.