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Deciding on Radiation for breast cancer: Photon or Proton?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Dec 20, 2025 | Replies (30)Comment receiving replies
I had a left mastectomy on 4/1/21 and, after healing from surgery, had 16 PROTON BEAM radiation treatments at MN Mayo. Proton radiation is the safest form of radiation because the protons release all of the energy at the target and nowhere else. I had 4-5 weeks of sunburn and used Vanicream twice each day. No skin peeling, no damage to heart or lungs, etc. Toward the last few treatments, I experienced some fatigue cured by afternoon naps. My radiation treated the entire upper portion of my let chest, the armpit and the underside of my left arm from the axilla to the elbow. I had no other problems. Don't hesitate to choose proton radiation. It's the safest and most effective!!! I am 84+ and doing fine.
Replies to "I had a left mastectomy on 4/1/21 and, after healing from surgery, had 16 PROTON BEAM..."
@dick61 I too am wondering how they treated such a large area with the proton radiation, expecially avoiding the heart area? Thanks for any info.
@dick61 I will have an appointment with a Proton Radiologist soon, to see if they could reach an "unresectable" tumor within my chest wall. It's a recurrence they say from my tumors 32 years ago in the right breast that I had a mastectomy & chemo 6 mo. for. Pretty surprising it could be growing all this time right below the old site, & not metastasizing. It has shrunk from its former size by 2/3 using 2 different AI's, but they gave me labile hypertension so had to go off them. Then tried Fulvestrant shots, but too many side effects too. So now I'm wondering if they could reach the rest of the tumor via Proton. Can it avoid bones like ribs, like go in between ribs? It's right next to the sternum. I guess I'll get answers from them, but wondered what you know? I'm 76 in Seattle with Fred Hutch Cancer Ctr/UW. Glad to hear of your great outcome!
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Thank you. And so glad you are doing fine!
I’m wondering how the beam finds the target when such a wide area is being addressed. This would be after a known target is surgically removed in my case so it’s a preventive treatment in case there are other microscopic cells in the “ whole breast “ area including nodes.
Was this addressed to your situation.?