Radiation or No Radiation?

max2111
max2111 Member Posts: 8 Member
in Breast Cancer #1

Hi Everyone,

 

I wanted to get your opinion on if you think I'll have to have radiation or not.  Of course the one to decide that is the radiation oncologist.  I have an appointment in a week.  I just thought I'd see if my situation compared with what you have been through or done research on.

 

--Diagnosed April 8, 2013 - just the right breast

--Cancer is nowhere else (woohoo)

--Double Mastectomy on April 29

--Cancer was found in the sentinel (first) lymph node plus only 1 more.  Surgeon took out about 9 lymph nodes in all I think.

--12 Rounds of Abraxane (started late May - will finish in mid August)

--After Abraxane, I will do 4 rounds of the FEC Chemo

--If I have to have radiation, then it will be after I finish FEC, sometime in October.

 

Do any of yall think I will require radiation with the info given above?   My regular oncologist didn't think I would since I have already had my surgery.

 

Thanks everyone   Wink

 

Comments

  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #2
    Give a little more info...

    I think it would help others to help you if they knew your age (sometimes age plays a factor in certain things, it is not that we are being disrespectful or nosey). stage of cancer, type of cancer (ILC, IDC, IBC or one of the other more rare types), and the er/pr status as well as if the cancer was Her positive or negative. Add those and they will have an easier time helping you.

  • max2111
    max2111 Member Posts: 8 Member
    #3
    cinnamonsmile said:

    Give a little more info...

    I think it would help others to help you if they knew your age (sometimes age plays a factor in certain things, it is not that we are being disrespectful or nosey). stage of cancer, type of cancer (ILC, IDC, IBC or one of the other more rare types), and the er/pr status as well as if the cancer was Her positive or negative. Add those and they will have an easier time helping you.

    Sorry....  I should have

    Sorry....  I should have included that info...  :)

     

    I am 48

    I am a Stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

    I am a Triple Positive - Estrogen, Progesterone, and of course Her2

     

    Thank you so much everyone.   I am prepared for radiation.  It would be such a nice surprise if I ended up not having to have it!

  • Pink Rose
    Pink Rose Member Posts: 493
    #4
    max2111 said:

    Sorry....  I should have

    Sorry....  I should have included that info...  :)

     

    I am 48

    I am a Stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

    I am a Triple Positive - Estrogen, Progesterone, and of course Her2

     

    Thank you so much everyone.   I am prepared for radiation.  It would be such a nice surprise if I ended up not having to have it!

    If you trust your rads

    If you trust your rads oncologist and oncologist, and they recommend it, then I'd probably do it.  It is always your choice and I wish you the best of luck.

    Hugs, Rose

  • desertgirl947
    desertgirl947 Member Posts: 653 Member
    #5
    I was encouraged to fight my

    I was encouraged to fight my bc aggressively by my surgeon at the outset.  The results of my surgery were such that when I met with my oncologist, he laid out the statistics for a return of cancer for if I just went with the surgery, if I added in the chemo, and if I added in radiation.  (I had a bi-lateral mastectomy, one side was more affected than the other, requiring more attention.  I had only one affected lymph node, the rest were good but removed on that one side.  I had a fairly large-sized tumor on that same side; the other side just had traces of the start of cancer.  So, I was classified as IIIA.)

    So, I did chemo -- four rounds, every other week of adriamycin and cytoxan; four rounds, every other week of taxol.  Then about three weeks later I began radiation therapy (33).  The goal was to fight a reoccurrence.

    All of that occurred last year, and so I can't tell you if the goal has been reached, but I know that I wanted to do whatever I needed to to try to avoid its return.  So, I went at it aggressively.

    Even with all of this, the choice was up to me, but I chose to go with what was recommended. 

    ee

  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #6
    max2111 said:

    Sorry....  I should have

    Sorry....  I should have included that info...  :)

     

    I am 48

    I am a Stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

    I am a Triple Positive - Estrogen, Progesterone, and of course Her2

     

    Thank you so much everyone.   I am prepared for radiation.  It would be such a nice surprise if I ended up not having to have it!

    Do All You Can Do to stay Stage II

    I would inquire from the radiation oncologist why he thinks this should be done.  That is what I did when I had a recurrence in the axilla.

    He gave me a list on why and I said, OK, let's do it.

    I was your stage the first time around with lymph node involvment.  When I went back to my oncologist after my recurrence in the axilla with a good size tumor I inquired why radiation was given.  His answer, "you fell through the cracks".  Yes, he was my oncologist at diagnose and not a very good one.  After a few more serious issues he missed, I found a new oncologist

    I am now stage IV with widespread pulmonary, pleural along with ribs metastasis.  Do all you can do to avoid become stage IV.  That should be your goal!

    Best of luck to you,

    Doris

  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #7
    desertgirl947 said:

    I was encouraged to fight my

    I was encouraged to fight my bc aggressively by my surgeon at the outset.  The results of my surgery were such that when I met with my oncologist, he laid out the statistics for a return of cancer for if I just went with the surgery, if I added in the chemo, and if I added in radiation.  (I had a bi-lateral mastectomy, one side was more affected than the other, requiring more attention.  I had only one affected lymph node, the rest were good but removed on that one side.  I had a fairly large-sized tumor on that same side; the other side just had traces of the start of cancer.  So, I was classified as IIIA.)

    So, I did chemo -- four rounds, every other week of adriamycin and cytoxan; four rounds, every other week of taxol.  Then about three weeks later I began radiation therapy (33).  The goal was to fight a reoccurrence.

    All of that occurred last year, and so I can't tell you if the goal has been reached, but I know that I wanted to do whatever I needed to to try to avoid its return.  So, I went at it aggressively.

    Even with all of this, the choice was up to me, but I chose to go with what was recommended. 

    ee

    Anything we do inre to our

    Anything we do inre to our treatment is up to us, but, if my doctors recommended rads, I'd go for it.  Good luck with your decision and let us know.

     

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