RADS does it lower chances of distant mets too?

rozem

A good friends sister was just diagnosed with mets.  He is really upset to say the least, the worst part is that the MO told him that had his sister done rads this MAY have not happened (she refused them)   I cant believe they would say this even if they felt it was true - whats the point of upsetting the family further

a little backgound - TN (young) - large tumor (over 4cm) with one positive node.  was not in the "grey area"  was strongly recommended rads (with a mastectomy)

so my question is: I thought rads was suppposed to prevent local-regional reaccurance?  im just curious as to what your RO's have told you in regards to lowering chances of distant mets - does it?  Is it because if there is cancer just "sitting there" it has time to travel? 

this is not meant to scare anyone who has decided against rads, everyones story/cancer is different and in all likelyhood she would have reaccured anyway,  she obviously has a very aggressive cancer (reaccurance less then 1yr after the end of chemo)

RebzAmy

From what I understand, the rads are local treatment and treat the area with tumour plus surrounding areas just in case there are minute cells that have spread out a little.  If the cells have already spread (maybe minute cells have travelled around the body) rads will not treat these, chemo can as it treats the whole body. The rads are an important part of treatment as they can reach tissue and areas that surgery can't.  It wasn't particuarly tactful of the MO to say this however he/she was being brutally honest.  That said, nobody can say whose cancer will come back and whose won't whatever treatment you end up having.  I was given rads and it covered three different areas - this was the belts and braces of my treatment as my oncologist described it.  

pupmom

Every cancer cell killed in the breast means one less cancer cell can migrate into the rest of the body and set up shop. The doctor was implying that because she didn't have rads some escaped the breast and metastasized. Yes it was terribly insensitive, but might be true.

Just wanted to add that an aggressive bc does not just "sit there." Travel is constantly on its "mind."