Radiation after pathological complete response

SmiLegirl

hello.

Has anyone chosen not to have radiation after a pathological complete response?

I have triple negative with lymph node involvement. Had 12 treatments of weekly taxol, with carboplatin every third week. Followed by 4 treatments of biweekly AC (the last of these is this Tuesday!!!)

I am scheduled for a unilateral mastectomy of the left breast and lymph node removal on Aug 21.

Originally I was told because of the lymph node involvement I would need radiation. Which I wasn't thrilled about!!! Now I am told there is a new clinical study in progress to see if radiation is needed and I am very likely to be eligible!

I would love to hear others experience with deciding to have or not have radiation. Thansk

Moderators

Hi SmiLegirl and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

Treatment decisions can definitely be tough, but you've come to the best place for support, advice and information. Our members are very helpful in lending their experiences!

While you wait for some responses, we thought these research news articles from the main Breastcancer.org site might be of interest to you:

• If Chemotherapy Before Surgery Destroys All Breast Cancer in Lymph
  Nodes, Survival Is Better, Especially for Women With HER2-Positive
  Disease
• Cancer's Response to Chemotherapy Before Surgery May Help Predict Risk of Recurrence
• Triple-Negative Disease May Have New Treatment Option

We hope this helps give you some insight! Looking forward to hearing more from you soon, and what you decide.

--The Mods

Love_My_Dogs

I have lurked on several topics but have never posted. I have found the support given to those who do post has been wonderful!

I had a tough time with chemo - bad diarrhea, electrolyte problems, fluid losses hard to keep up with. I had a mastectomy on the left (tumor side) as there wouldn't have been much left to try to fix, but also because I had such bad fibrocystic disease and that is why I didn't find the tumor until it was stage II (only 7 mos after a "clear" mammogram!). That was also why I chose to have a right MSX as well.

And so I had complications with surgery too! Bleeding 10 hours after surgery so back to the OR at 3am. Then an infection in one drain on the left, and wound seroma leakage with a small dehiscence needing a needle tap and re-suturing on the right. The seroma kept recurring, had to have chest taps 4 times. Finally got it to stop, and today had the last sutures out, a month later.

I still have a fair amount of soreness along the incisions, especially with pressure such as from a seat belt. I tried an adherent foam pad (Mepilex) with some relief but that also got a bit irritating. I am hoping this starts getting better soon!

There is good news tho, GREAT news in fact, as I had pCR from the chemo! They still want me to have radiation, and to enroll in the study that will randomize pCR patients to have a usual radiation course or no radiation at all. But given my continued diarrhea issues and a 12% weight loss due to it, and my seeming penchant for complications, I am really not very interested in having let another set of things to go wrong. I really just want to be done with this crap.

Of course I also don't want the "complication" of recurrence either, and I really want them to get enough patients in the study so that they can truly decide that pCR patients don't benefit from XRT. But I can't enroll and then withdraw if I randomize to radiation because it would skew the data. So I'm still not totally decided. I want to find out what recurrence would mean in a more detailed way.

I have a work up ongoing for the diarrhea and weight loss and am on meds now that are allowing me to eat and gain weight. Hair is slowly growing back tho not fast enough of course! I have kept working through most of my treatment to the amazement of many, but I can't sit around feeling sorry for myself either. But it is all getting old now and I want it behind me.

Anyway I have been helped by those of you here and I want to say thanks to you and the moderators. Every little bit helps

SmiLegirl

BIG YAY for pCR!!!!!! That is what we all hope for and you got it, go girl!!!

Sorry everything has been so rough.

I too have read through so many posts over the last couple months and have found so much support without even posting! But now faced with the possible decision of radiation I had to seek input.

The decision you face isn't easy but I am sure you will make the best decision for you. Please share what that is when you decide