2nd Picc Line and 33 total radiation sessions

AmyD1310
AmyD1310 Member Posts: 59
in Anal Cancer #1

Hi all!

I hope this post finds you well! I am having a Picc line placed tomorrow to begin my second (and hopefully final) round of chemo. Despite having already been through one Picc line placement, I am finding my anxiety to be off the charts. WHY?! 

Also, I noticed when I read through a bunch of other posts that most people tend to have 30 radiation sessions. My doctor recommended 33 for me. Does anyone know why this is? I still have 14 sessions to go because the snow we had here on Thursday closed down the radiology department, and I therefore couldn't have my session that day. Thanks in advance for any information or advice you may have to offer!

 

-Amy

Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    Amy

    I do not know the answer to your questions as to why 33 treatments instead of 30, but each person's case is different.  I do not remember if you had lymph node involvement or not, which may have something to do with the number of zaps.  I had 30 treatments and received 1.8 grays of radiation each time for a total of 54 gys.  Do you know the total of grays you are to receive?  If so, you can divide that number by 33 to find out how many grays each treatment is.  Perhaps your radiation oncologist is giving you less radiation at each treatment than I received, but to get the overall total you need, it requires the additional 3 treatments.  I don't know, I'm not a doctor--just a possibility.  If I were you, I'd ask for an explanation from your rad onc.

  • sephie
    sephie Member Posts: 650 Member
    edited February 2017 #3
    every center seems to be different

    hi.... i was treated at md anderson in houston....the # of tx is determined by sooo many factors...stage ,,lymph nodes and docs.... i had only 28 radiation tx... i was stage 2 no lymph nodes.....also md anderson doe not remove the picc line between txs...many people keep their picc lines for months.... i had mine pulled out immediately after the last chemo....BIG MISTAKE///// i got sooo illl that i had to be put into the hospital part of md anderson.... if i had kept my picc line,,, they would not have had to use so many of my veins for stuff..... so do not pull it until you see that you  do not need anything after tx.....good luck....sephie

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