Radiation after lumpectomy

ashlinlow

Hi all,

I am hoping to gain some insight to people who have had the 5 day radiation or the 15 day radiation. I was diagnosed with ILC ER & PR+, HER2-. in June of this year. I was initially staged as 1B. I had a lumpectomy and SNB on 8/25 where they removed a 3cm tumor. I received negative margins on my tumor, negative in lymph nodes, down staged to 1A and have an Onco score of 16, have met with Oncology and decided chemo was not necessary.

I still have radiation to do and have completed my consultation with radiation oncology who recommended a 5 day radiation course vs the 15 day. Obviously a 5 day course would be way more convenient, however, I, for some reason feel like having a higher dose of radiation per day is not necessarily a good thing! I am an analyst at heart, therefore I research to no end! But research can only get you so far in this situation. The research I found/read state the recurrence rates tend to be lower with the 5 day course vs the 15 day course, but the side effects tend to be higher with the 5 day course.

I am hoping to get some "experiences" from people rather then just reading statistics and numbers. Any insights anyone can provide on which course they chose and why, any side effects or any other information you feel would be valuable to share would be greatly appreciated! I am supposed to go in for mapping this week and will need to have my decision made by then.

Thank you!

Ashlin

RocDocVic

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/327201/radiation-after-lumpectomy

I'll possibly be going this route too so I'll be interested in hearing about radiation treatment. I'm ER/PR- and HER2 3+. Chemotherapy treatments first to try and shrink 2.8 cm tumor so lumpectomy will be easier. Stage 2b invasive ductile carcinoma. No lymph node infiltration yet. Interesting they downgraded your stage.

RocDocVic

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/327201/radiation-after-lumpectomy

Quick question. Is 15 days straight through including weekends or only M-F for 3 weeks?

stellarkeller

Me too. Same exact diagnosis and treatment plan. Same oncotype, etc. I had surgery on 8/4 and I start radiation tomorrow. I did the mapping on 10/16. I’m going with the recommended 5x radiation. I’m not sure I understand 100% the reason that all of my doctors recommended this one but I think it has to do with a low oncotype (not likely to recur or spread) and a very localized tumor with good margin. They can deliver very high dose radiation to the small spot without having to radiate the entire breast. It works better for me. But it’s a personal choice.

another note: they wanted me to lie face down but the table isn’t like a massage table with a hole for your face so my neck had to go sideways. I don’t have full range of motion in my neck so I couldn’t do that. Feel free to ask me anything about the treatment.

ashlinlow

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1709818#Comment_1709818

The 15 day is M-F for 3 weeks.

Ashlin

ashlinlow

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1709863#Comment_1709863

We are very close, my surgery was 8/25. I go in for mapping tomorrow, finally. I had to do a pregnancy test THREE times as my levels came back slightly higher, I have been in menopause for seven years now! But, result finally came the way it was supposed to. I did some more research, but still have a couple questions for the radiation oncologist, but I am leaning towards the 5 day.

Not looking forward to the positioning of the mapping! I have neck and shoulder issues, barely made it through the breast MRI! Guess we shall see how it goes!

Ashlin

JeanneJ

I had 5 days of Radiation. I was very scared but it went well. I had some Nausea and fatigue on and off for 3 weeks. I thought I was fine, but 6 weeks later I now have a burn. keep using the creme for weeks afterward. I stopped after a week. Maybe that was a mistake. Most people seem to tolerate this very well.

JeanneJ

Maybe the 15 days lower dose might be better to minimize side effects. I was considering skipping the radiation since I am 69. In retrospect, I wish I opted for the Clinical trial where 50% of the people skip it.

stellarkeller

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1709869#Comment_1709869

The mapping is not a big deal. Just tell them you have head and neck issues. They will do everything they can to make you comfortable. Good luck. I’ll let you know how it went. I’m in California, pacific time.