Radiation for my 91 year old Mother.

hopeful and optimistic

Last week my Mother had lumectomies to a breast, there were three cancerous in the lympth(sp) with about 10 others, non cancerous; also there was one at the nipple.

The surgeon today, now recommends radiation. What questions are appropriate for the medical oncologist and the radiation oncologist.

Is there a type of radiation that is better than others?

When is it appropriate to start after the operation?

Generally how long is each session, and how many sessions are required?

What are the side effects?

Is there an alternative to radiation?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Ira
Prostate cancer patient

tgf

Ira
These are all good questions ... but because of your mother's age ... the questions are best answered by her medical oncologist. The medical oncologist will know whether to recommend radiation, oral chemo ... or other treatment.

teena

elizarose

Ira,
All these questions
Ira,
All these questions have many different answers depending on the patient, the cancer, etc. But generally, after the initial set up, each radiation treatment only lasts 5-10 minutes and is painless. The skin can eventually turn pink or red, and may or may not blister. She may become fatigued at some point during the treatment. Radiation is usually easier to tolerate than chemo. I had 30 radiation treatments, 1 a day for 6 weeks with a break on the weekends. I'm not sure how long after surgery she'll have to wait, I had a mastectomy so my experience would be much different.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND...Each patient is different. There are many different kinds of breast cancer and many different kinds of treatment. If you know her specific diagnosis you could do a little research online. wwww.breastcancer.org is a good sight.
Oh, any question you have is a good one. I always ask lots of questions!

Beth