Deciding on radiation or not
So, I have been going back and forth about radiation now for awhile. I am trying to pursue Proton Beam which seems safe enough considering my tumor bed is directly over my heart. So for me I know I wont' do regular radiation. But this is what perplexes me and makes my decision difficult. Basically 3 out of 100 women like me will have a recurrence without radiation, with radiation 2 out of 100 will have a recurrence. I read that and think...is radiation worth it? bearing in my mind my tumor was low grade, tiny and no lymph nodes, clear margins and very well behaving, it actually decreased in size over 6 months prior to surgery.
Is it time to just walk away from treatment and enjoy my good fortune?
I'd appreciate any input.
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Thanks for letting me know about the pharmacy blip. My husband had a similar experience when his chemo pill changed manufacturer. He’s now on the brand-name and doing much better with side effects.
That’s a very kind offer Cobb/Lynn. That is so great the Mepitel worked so well for you. I have emailed my doctor about Mepitel, or something stronger I can use. I will let you know if Mepitel is recommended for me. (It’s the chest wall plus axilla, so a large area.) I only have 4 of 28 treatments left so I should also be done this next week if I continue. So anxious about making the rash and burn pain even worse with the remaining treatments.
I had a small 1A IDC no nodes positive. They said bc of my “young age” 52 radiation was recommended. If I was 65 or older no radiation. It cuts the recurrence of the cancer by 2/3 so I did it. It was unpleasant but fine. 15 days.
Great news!!!! I was similarly lucky with a favorable ONCOTYPE analysis. On Anastrozole for 18 mos. So far so good … with a two mos. Heavy side effect blip when pharmacy changed manufacturer… back to original manufacturer and all good.
Be aware of manufacturer and check each time you fill your script. I appear to have been sensitive to that change.
Ask for doctor is "Is there is significant difference?" This is not a casual reference. This is a statistical measurement based on the actual cases that that researchers have studied. I would also decide based on how risky or onerous the treatment is. My radiation was not that bad. Plus, my radiation oncologist made an interesting remark regarding re-occurrence that I had to run by my medical oncologist. The radiation oncologist tells you about the re-occurence of that particular tumor; the medicine oncologist tells you about re-occurence of breast cancer in general. Good luck.
@meomurian I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU ! ❤️❤️❤️
Another thought is to join the Mepitel FB group and ask the question!
Thanks! I don't need chemo!!! I am so happy! I found out yesterday. Just have to take anastrozole for 5 years. I'm willing to do that if it will help keep the cancer from coming back again.
I don’t know. Have you asked your doc at Proton? If they say yes, I can bring some to Proton for you. I only have partial breast radiation and the film size is 4 x 4.8 inches and one dressing covers my area so I will have leftover film. Let me know area size so I know how many to bring. My name is Lynn and I will have my last treatment next Friday. PS- my skin is old and fair too!!
THANK you for taking time and providing this info . I wish cancer would NOT come back! My thoughts and prayers to you ! Hope you don't need chemo ! 💕🙏🏻