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Diagnosed with DCIS: How do I decide on treatment?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Mar 20 10:00am | Replies (345)Comment receiving replies
Callaloo - did you have to have radiation treatment or chemo after the lumpectomy?
Replies to "Callaloo - did you have to have radiation treatment or chemo after the lumpectomy?"
Dear @tctredwell1 and @callalloo
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'd ask you (both) what happened after lumpectomy.
A familiar (+64)has been diagnosed CDIS (free marges, small size 8mm, progesterone&S positive) I've no idea if the Anatomyc Pathologc used Oncotype or mamaprynt (Europe) so there's no info about it in documents.
Lumpectomy was fine and CEntinel nodul was Not studied because it was an early stage and they consider it was unnecesary.
After surgery: Surgeon doctor is so happy with the lumpectomys result.
Oncologist and radiot. doctors suggested as a preventive step hormonal therapy(tamoxifen x5years)&30 sessions of radiotherapy.
We are wondering if this is absolutely necessary. Doctors say "it's the universal protocol"
FEAR about preventive's treatment suggested. No receptive.
Thanks for your comprehension .
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I didn't have either. I did have the OncotypeDX and the "risk of recurrence within 9 years" was 3%. So chemo wasn't recommended. And the only radiation (suggested as 'optional') was extremely site-specific to 'clean up' the area where the tumor was removed. It was described as kind of 'sweeping up crumbs' in that exact area and "could" lower the risk of recurrence in that area from 10% to 3%.
I declined the radiation as the post-surgical biopsy showed clear margins and a sentinel node biopsy was negative. The tumor was in the left breast, so closer to the heart than if in the right breast, which was a factor, and I decided that the risk-reduction payoff for the radiation wasn't persuasive. [My surgeon and oncologist kind of predicted what the OncotypeDX would show based on their combined 60 years of breast cancer experience. If either had strongly argued for the radiation, I might have decided to have it. But I was more worried about unintended consequences like side effects for so small a possible statistical advantage.]
The decisions I made were kind of in line with what a lot of older women, with first-time breast cancers, are making according to my surgeon. The same cancer I had would have been exponentially faster-growing and more aggressive in a younger woman so the decisions would have been different.