Brown, raised, rough areas under breast after breast radiation

@katrina123

Please bring these brown spots up to your oncologist.

Call him immediately just to ask, get feedback and reassurance.

Post his reply.

timely,
I went in yesterday to show my radiation oncologist the brown and black raised rough areas. I found out that the brown and black crusty raised areas are burns that have not sluffed off the dead skin yet. It's odd because I had breast radiation 4 years ago and I never had this issue. I read an article from the New England Medical Journal that radiation treatment for the initial cancer (mine was 4 years ago) can result in moderately high doses to the contralateral breast. I can't help but wonder if this played a part in my having worse burns on this other breast this go around.

Just curious.

Wow, that is strange, let me make sure I got this right, because with the new targeted radiation, I thought this kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen.
You had radiation to the other breast 4 years ago and these burns are just now showing up?

No. It was 4 years ago that I had my first breast cancer, lumpectomy and 20 days of radiation with mild burns. I just completed 20 days of radiation after my 2nd lumpectomy due to a second primary cancer in my other breast and I was curious if having had radiation before could have caused me to have much worse burns after this second round of breast cancer radiation.

I read that radiation to one breast can result in moderately high doses to the contralateral breast so that is why it makes me wonder if that could have played a part in my burns.

I wonder if this has happened to anyone else who has had radiation to both breasts.

Oh my gosh, you have been through it. What a courageous woman you are.
Thank you for explaining that, I was thinking of it all wrong. I remember having radiation to almost the center of my chest and it definitely hit both sides. Thankfully I have not had to repeat that anywhere. Although I would do again if I needed to.
Did your doctor give you a plan to help relieve this burned tissue? How is it going?

I am using a radiation burn cream called "My Girls".

The area of my life that takes the most courage right now is trying to stay strong as I watch my husband leave me day by day because of the horrible Alzheimer's disease he has.

Thank you Chris for your kind words.

First…. My heart goes out to you. And answering your question…. 1st time high grade breast cancer April 2023, had lumpectomy, chemo (because my Oncto test came back 49), and 27 radiation treatments. Underneath my breast, I had brown discoloration, rash, actual blisters. It was horrible. My breast was so red and raw it was like I was topless on the beaches of Aruba. Radiation Dr advised plastering it with corn starch, which was an amazing help!! It’s gone now, but it still doesn’t seem “right” in that area. Good Luck to you

I can relate on that front as well unfortunately, it I can’t talk about it or I will totally crumble.
I was thinking about you today, and wondering how your burns are doing. Are they healing up? Did the burn cream help?

michelle,
It sounds like we had similar burn reactions. On my 20th and last day of radiation the radiation oncologist thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction due to using 2 radiation creams, lidocaine and silversulfa. The possibility of this should have been brought up to me sooner. I only saw the radiation oncologist once a week and I think it should have been twice a week for the last couple of weeks of radiation. I was having some awful deep pains and crazy internal itching after radiation but I have been doing OK for the last couple of days. I'ts funny that you mentioned cornstarch because on Friday that was the suggestion that my regular oncologist had.
Thanks for your good wishes.
Katrina

Happy Monday……Just checking in to see how you’re feeling today. Your burns getting any better?. I was told no creams of ay type because that will keep it “wet” underneath. They needed to dry it out. So I’d plaster the top part with aloe, I went through so much aloe it wasn’t funny, and then the corn starch underneath. Once my skin peeled off (top), that area felt better. My underneath is all healed now, but on days when I find it’s going to be warm outside, I’ll put a little corn starch underneath. I asked if I could use Baby Desitin, hey they use for baby diaper rash thought maybe it would help. They said NooOooOoo…. Only the corn starch.