Radiation-Induced Brachial Plexopathy

momstrong

does this condition only happen if you are irradiating the lymph nodes or the breast in general? it sounds very unpleasant :-/. anyone know the risks? i saw numbers of 1-2% on medscape

Binney4

momstrong, this condition happens when several radiation fields are necessary and they overlap, resulting in an intense dose to the brachial nerve. Even then symptoms may not appear for a number of years and in most cases, never at all. There's more information about radiation-induced brachial plexopathy here:

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Radiation_Induced_B...

And there's also a thread about it for women who are dealing with it on the Lymphedema forum here at breastcancer.org. It doesn't actually have anything to do with radiating lymph nodes, but women who develop RIBP usually also develop lymphedema because of the lack of movement in their arm (the "pump" for the lymph system has to do with muscle movement).

Are you experiencing symptoms that have you worried? If so, it's a good idea to check it out with your rads onc.

Be well,
Binney