Has anyone been offered new 3 week radiation trial?

I had to take the traditional rads.  My insurance would not pay for the IMRT.  I wish I coul have taken it instead because the radiation has burned me so bad.  It is taking about 4 weeks longer than expected to finish 33 treatments due to the burns.  But, I only have 10 more now and I'm ready to get through with them.  I did find that 2 1/2 weeks off rads and I'm not as tired as I was, so I guess once I'm through I'll feel much better.  I HOPE!

I cannot copy and paste, but the 3 week rads is NOT only for people with DCIS.I think there is a lot of misinformation so here goes.My rads onc was one of the Drs that participated in the research in canada...

3 weeks, we do not have the "laying on the tummy position" at my center or anywhere in ontario.it is a more intense targeted program and it is proven to be better for the skin and for side effects.It can be used in many stages and not just stage 0 or DCIS.It is a proven method and standard of care here...

Thanks!

traveler56,

That is too cool!  I live near Lake George, so it was a ghastly long trip, but doable!

My surgeon is Dr. Pietrocola, my rad onco is Dr, Gibons.  Love them both!

Keep in touch.

Susan

Jennywren,

Timothy Whelan, M.D of Juravinski Cancer Centre at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada was the lead author on the study that I saw which excluded women with large breasts. 

Has your doctor's study published results? If 3-week is as effective and has the same long-term cosmetic results, I would really prefer to do it. My doctor sounded open minded but he wants to check it out first which is reasonable.

Mzmiller - susan - I have Dr. P in Albany too and Dr. Gibbons -- and I feel the same; they are great!  I work about 1 mile from Albany Med so hoping it will work well for me to get it done in the am and go to work.  I work for health dept so we have a nurses station with a cot if I get really tired during the day.  Had to go there once when I had a bad toothache and took too many hydrocodone (I took 2 in 8 hours, but since I am 5 ft tall about 108 it almost knocked me out -- I threw up all day) so they let me lay down for an hour. 

I love Lake George - I travel to Warren Co for business now and then and my hubby and I have also gone up a couple times.   I just got back from Lake Placid, love that too, and before rads I will make one last fall trip all the way to Canton.  

I definitely don't have large breasts - 34A and i think the one that had the lumpectomy may be an "almost A" now but I am interested to see this whole positioning thing.  My area seems to be right smack in the middle in the back of the nipple.  

Saltair,

I read your post with great interest!  I'm wondering if you have an article you can point to about the five year data they have on the accelerated partial breast one week version of radiation.  I had four doctors tell me they thought it was going to be just as effective as the mammosite in its ourcome statistics, but I never found an article showing what data they do have. I'd love to know about what statistics Dr. Weiss gave you.  Thanks!

Dr. Weiss was recommended to me but I never ended up going there because I found a rad onc even closer to my home who would do the one week partial breast accelerated radiation.  The first rad onc I went to was really pushing the mammosite also, but the research I did showed it had enough side effects that I didn't want to go there, since I have a hard time taking high doses of antibiotics. 

 So I too had to do my own research to find alternatives.   I agree with you, why do they make us go through this ourselves?  Why can't they just tell us all the options?  I spent hours on the computer when I was still really worn out from the surgery, trying to find alternatives and make these decisions. 

I was very pleased with the one week external beam radiation--I had very few side effects, mostly just some fatigue which is now fading away four weeks after I finished (and that was made much worse by getting a nasty stomach virus--I don't think it would have been bad at all without that virus.) I'm so glad women are now being given this alternative.  How were your SEs?

LOL!!  Big ta-tas were never my problem either!  Now, it's one small and one "mini-me"!

I have an appointment with Dr. Gibbons on Oct. 29.  I hope I get to see my techs then.  They saw me at my worst, and I'd like them to see me a bit more normal!

I had no intention of going to AMC - too far away.  But, Dr. P made the appointment for me with Dr. Gibbons and then, went on vacatio!!  As did Dr. Gibbons!!  My appointment was Tue. - she returned on Mon.  It was too late to cancel or be referred to Glens Falls, so I kept my appointment with Dr. Gibbons, but I was all teary and upset, and told here I wasn't staying with her.

I got a phone call at 8:30 the next morning - no idea who it was..."Hi, I was in the shower and I was thinking about you!  Must be when the hot water hits my head, I get smarter.."! 

 It was Dr. Gibbons!!!  OMG!!  When was the last time a doctor you barely knew calls you from their house to say they were thinking about you in the shower!?!?  I told her on the phone that I was all hers, no matter how far I had to travel!  I've had no regrets.

And, my oncologist in Saratoga speaks very highly of her. 

 Some time we'll have to compare notes.  Did you have your surgery at AMC or the South Campus?

 Wishing you the best. 

Susan

good for you! I keep thinking that those gold beads are the most expensive gold I'll ever own!  i got the bill from AMC for my first surgery (had a re-excision, too) and they charged for the gown, the blanket to keep warm, a vomit pan that I didn;t use, every piece of gauze...I wa stunned!!  No wonder it cost $8,000+! 

 And,I hear you about the daily co-pay.  Mine was $20.  I whipped out my credit card to pay the first week, and  found out it was cash or check only!  I didn't work this summer because of the cancer and by the end of August, I was broke!  First summer of my life, since I was 12, that I didn't work, but I thought my rads would start in July, not Aug. and i didn't want the hassle of everything all at once.  I could hardly wait to get that first paycheck after school started!

Good luck with the gold and sim.  I had Liam, Justin, and Tara.  They were great!

Susan

OOPS!  Things are running so slowly that I hit submit twice!!  Sorry!!

I asked my doc about the three week one and his reply was that it had been tried in Canada and has been discredited.  After checking on my own I feel he is either poorly informed or a liar.  Doesn't make me feel very secure

Hi johnwayne,

I had already seen the Times article and after your recommendation  read the Whelan report and since I'm "busty"  figure I'm not a candidate for the three week method. 

I'm waiting, I can't say calmly, for my follow up with the surgeon on the third.  Yesterday I had a phone call fron the radiation doc's office to set up an appointment there.  When I called I asked what it was for and they said follow up from the surgery.  Since at this point I have no information concerning the lymph nodes involvement I'm wondering if the Rad doc has heard and already making plans for radiation which would be great.  But good grief do I wish comunication was better.  As for the lumpectomy I can truthfully say it's been no problem.  Absolutely no discomfort.  Never needed a pain killer.

Brenda

Hey all,

I'm currently doing the 3 week protocol too at a teaching hospital here in Ariz and I think rad dept here is fairly familiar with this tx.  I had my OTV yesterday after 7th tx, and rad onc is saying its up to me to decide whether to do 16 tx w/o boosts, or to add 4-6 boosts.  How do I decide this??? Makes me nervous as he doesn't seem to know what the "standard" is for this protocol, i.e. boosts or no boosts.  Anyone have recommendations or knowledge about this ?

Hi:

If you are not going to a teaching hospital, you probably won't find the 3-week alternative.  Since the study was done in Canada, it seems to be that the U.S. drs. want to do their own studies and it won't be happening at community hospitals for a while. 

I was willing to drive over an hr to RI. to get  the 3-week protocol so I could get it over with, rather than doing the 6-1/2 week course 10 mins. away at the local hospital but they wouldn't take me because of a positive node.  I have since decided to go back to Boston.  I'm thinking that this is my one shot at kicking this and if I have to drive an hr. to get it done right, then I will do it.  It is all so frustrating.

Peeps