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Anyone out there with Thymoma/Thymic Carcinoma
Cancer | Last Active: Sep 3, 2023 | Replies (136)Comment receiving replies
Welcome, @lmno. Allow me to tag fellow thymoma members to bring them back to this discussion: @boola @andylevine @allisonsnow @jacquie1 @shilo14 @shaycoe12 @mddelaney64 @nenners @hppydg @anotherfinemass
I can imagine that you are concerned about having such a large area of your chest exposed to radiation therapy and being told that there will likely be damage to your lungs and heart. At Mayo Clinic, there is a Cardio-Oncology Clinic especially for cancer patients who have heart disease or who are at risk of heart disease before, during and after treatment for cancer. You can read more here:
- Mayo's Cardio-Oncology Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/cardio-oncology-clinic/overview/ovc-20442193
I wonder if you might be a candidate to get radiation at Mayo Clinic or for your Southern Oregon oncology team to work with the Cardio-Oncology team at Mayo.
Has has your recovery been from the sternotomy? When are you supposed to start radiation?
Replies to "Welcome, @lmno. Allow me to tag fellow thymoma members to bring them back to this discussion:..."
Thank you Colleen! My recovery from the sternotomy has been fairly easy. I met with the medical oncologist and the radiation oncologist and the next step would be the appointment to measure and get set-up for radiation here in Medford. However, I wasn't expecting the information regarding the high risk to my heart and lungs. The thymoma was large and there was only 1 margin in question, however the radiation will travel through my heart and right lung to reach that area. I spent the last several days researching the risks of: not even having any radiation treatment/ or having radiation treatment/ or having proton treatment (which involves treatment at least 500 miles away from home). Thank you again!
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Colleen, I was diagnosed with Thymic Carcinoma and not Thymoma. My recovery from the sternotomy has been a process, but doing great from the surgery. I started radiation 12 weeks after surgery, complete resection.