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My experience with proton beam therapy & breast cancer

Breast Cancer | Last Active: Aug 9, 2023 | Replies (57)
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@semurrey

Thanks for sharing your experience with proton beam. I was diagnosed Nov 2022 with ILC and finished 19 rounds of traditional (right breast) breast radiation at Dana Farber. I was convinced that Proton Beam was safer and scheduled consult at MGH Proton Beam (first one) Center but after team reviewing my cancer, films, biomarkers, placement etc they determined proton beam would NOT be the best course of treatment. They mentioned that unfortunately Proton Beam very misunderstood as Holy Grail and many centers encourage it over traditional as they do need to support their centers. I think there is a smart use of Proton Beam and a friend's daughter used it for brain radiation but not in all cases. Just wanted to weigh in with this experience.
Love this group! xoxo

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Replies to "Thanks for sharing your experience with proton beam. I was diagnosed Nov 2022 with ILC and..."
baylaurel | @baylaurel | Jul 27, 2023

Sue Ellen, Could you elaborate a bit as to why proton therapy was not the best choice in your case. I recently had left breast mastectomy and 1 of 3 positive nodes for ILC stage IIB. I have contacted a couple of proton therapy centers in western US but have not been able to consult with their doctors yet. I am concerned about effects of traditional radiation on heart and lungs ( I have preexisting heart lung disease). I met with traditional radiation oncologist and it felt like she might be developing a somewhat compromised treatment plan to limit impact on heart and lungs. She also indicated the benefit of proton therapy wasn’t worth the effort to relocate for several weeks. Thank you for any insights you can share.

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