Fear of radiation after lumpectomy

I was diagnosed with early stage ER+ breast cancer at age 70. I had a lumpectomy and opted to have 16 rounds of radiation. When I made the decision to have radiation, I did not know that I would be unable to tolerate anastrozole due to its MANY side effects which severely diminished my quality of life. In retrospect, I was glad that I had decided to have the radiation and its potential benefit of reducing my chance of recurrence. For me, the radiation was the easiest part of my treatment. I did not have any side effects from it. I’m feeling well; have not had a recurrence and will soon be 74.
Each one of us has to make difficult decisions as to which treatments to undergo based on many factors. I know that some people, who are diagnosed with late stage cancer, don’t have the same choices. However, if your chance of recurrence is low, you may want to consider radiation, in case you can’t tolerate an aromatase inhibitor.
I wish you good health and all the best in making your decisions.
Becky

If you trust your team of doctors, I would follow their advice. I had radiation everyday for 30 days (no weekends) for TNBC, and for me it was not that bad-nothing like chemo. I called my best friend on my drive to the facility to pass the time and used Lily of the Desert aloe gel faithfully afterward. (I should add that I do have “good” skin, not prone to sunburn.) I was 67 at the time and wanted to do everything I could to avoid recurrence.

Best wishes on your decision.
Cindy

That shoukd say would be every other day for 5 days

I am trying to decide whether to have radiation or skip it for my stage 1 HER+ BC. I was offered accelerated partial breast radiation which wouldn't be every other day for 5 days. If I don't do radiation and just take Anastrazole for 5 years my risk of recurrence over 10 years is 5.3%. With radiation and Anastrazole it is 1.6%. I'm 71 and had a lumpectomy 1.5cm tumor negative lymph node. Did you have any side effects? Fatigue or burns? Change in size or shape of the breast? I'm very worried about side effects and not sure if the benefits outweigh the risks given my low risk of recurrence. But also worried about not doing everything to reduce my risk.

So, I just had my second mammogram since my surgery in February of 2022 and it is clear. So far - so good! 🙂 I have been taking many supplements including the Artemisinin and Mistletoe injections that were prescribed by my naturopath and I have felt normal with no side effects for the whole time. Praying that it will continue, but so far I am happy with my decision.

Cheers,
Dona

@12hannah, I'm sorry to hear of the double diagnosis. You may also wish to follow the discussions in the Blood Cancer Support Group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/blood-cancers-disorders/

In particular, I think you may wish to connect with others in this discussion:
- Does anyone have chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/does-anyone-have-cml/
Did your cancer team suggest that radiation may have increased your risk for CML? Are you on both anti-estrogen and Gleevec?

ComfortSlings are soft cushions on adjustable straps that fit comfortably under the breast.
Radiation can burn the skin, but the ComfortSlings allow air circulation which goes a long way toward protecting the skin. The cushions also prevent the harmful accumulation of perspiration and protect the skin from abrasive skin-to-skin contact and rubbing. They really are amazingly effective. http://www.comfortslingts.com

Thanks for sharing your experience, but what is a ComfortSling? Where can we purchase it? Please advise. Thanks!

I have asked my oncologist about the no radiation point, since we maxed me out on radiation a couple years ago at 38 years old to throw the kitchen sink at the aggressive TNBC I had.

She did say if we ever detected a little malignancy post-cancer on *another* part of the body, like my liver or leg bone or something we could use a very targeted radiation on that, in conjunction with other treatments.

That gave me a lot of hope and *definitely* encourages me to keep up with all the scans and bloodwork.

Hugs to all.

Incidentally I had BC on the right, but I think younger than most on the boards here. Interesting to ponder about.

Thanks all for sharing your truths. I was unaware that you can only do radiation once. My tumor was small 1cm slow growing on my chest wall near heart and lung. Why do so many women get cancer in the left breast?