Agree! I am 2 weeks out from my lumpectomy and I am considering walking away from all of the treatments. In my personal case the numbers simply don't add up as far as toxicity vs reward. 4-5% for radiation-recurrence only, 0.4-1.4 benefit for hormone therapy for 15 year overall survival, and chemo about the same for 15 year overall survival.
I also declined the Oncotype testing due to my pathology report being decisive for me, and feeling like I did not want some weird number coming back to haunt me, and I was simply done with testing etc.
Now I have to deal with "cording" from my surgery and it hurts enough to keep me thinking do I want to subject myself to more.

I agree. I’ve heard over the years that cancer cures and promising research has been suppressed by the pharmaceutical industry. I didn’t want to believe it, I still don’t, but where are all those extraordinary profits going? They should be going towards finding cures but apparently that’s not happening. They just want to keep us in treatment of some kind forever.
Cancer is a big business, it’s practically a lifestyle, so I guess those in charge don’t want to rock their very lucrative boat.

Anyway, just to let you know, the very impersonal radiation treatments weren’t too bad until the last few sessions. I saw my surgeon today and he used the words ‘final blast’ or something like that. He suggested Aquafor which I think is the brand name of the ointment I’m using.

You said it just right when you said you felt like you were betraying your body. That’s how I feel - not sorry for me but sorry for my body and I feel like apologizing to it for the medieval-like treatments Corporate America is providing us in the 21st century while they’re drowning in profits!

I’ve finished with radiation and now the only issue is some fatigue but Monday I start on the AI Anastrozole. As I said to my surgeon today - the only thing I can do is try it. If the side effects are too much for me, I will try another AI but if I can’t tolerate that either then I’m done. The numbers I’ve heard convinced me to go through with radiation and reduce the chance of recurrence by quite a bit. I don’t know the numbers for AIs. But even if it’s convincing, if I can’t tolerate it, I can’t tolerate it. We shall see.

Please let me know about your radiation treatments and I’ll keep you posted on the Anastrozole.
Take care and thank you for your reply.

I am so sorry you are facing radiation treatments. It seems that the medical profession is not capable of finding a cure that does not take the judgement of Solomon to determine what is right for each patient. They just seem to throw out a number of "possibles" and then let the patient "sweat it out". I don't know if I was just fortunate, but I did have a Radical Mastectomy, but no chemo or radiation or follow-up medication. It just was not available. That was 65 years ago and I am still here smiling at you at 92. I will say a prayer for you so that God can help you make the right decision.
Gina5009

Perhaps you could find out what % of radiation recipients went on to have another breast cancer episode? The real facts might help you in making a decision. 🌸