Neoadjuvant chemo wiped out breast tumor

I'm pretty sure whether you have ILC or IDC or IBC...when it comes to radiation the same standard goes for each. They will radiate your breast area (chest wall)  axilla (armpit), and supraclavical lymph node region (above coller bone).

Most woman tolerate rads very well. I'm sure you will too!!!!

P.S. You stated that your surgeon was unable to tell if the cells left in the nodes were dead or active, this is determined by pathology. They Will be able to tell, maybe ask your onc to review your final path with you.

I had all those same sideeffects as well. and I tolerated rads very well. My skin went slightly pink. I started to apply the right cream 2 weeks before rads and continued 2x day ( day/night) during rads and then for a month after.

Remember rads have a cumulitive effect, so even when you are finished with them...the skin still reacts. I found a week after finishing is when my skin started to be sensitive.

I know you will be fine

caligrlof68, I was diagnosed July of '08 with ILC and poss. IBC, and a tumor of 10 cm (MRI said 12 cm.)  I had 12 weeks of Taxol (and Herceptin) and then another 12 weeks on a every 3 week course of  5 FU, Cytoxon, Epirubicin (similar to Adrimyicin) (and Herceptin). The neoadjuvant got rid of the very large tumor and only left a smattering of cells.  2 out of 3 nodes positive but the surgeon said the nodes in the axilla were gone just full of scare tissue, apparnetly according to the Radiology Oncologist that is a sign that the nodes at one point had cancer but the Chemo did its job.  Taxol, caused for me, lots of mucsle and joint pain, it was pretty painful and the next set just had digestive side effects, pretty hideous I might add and fatigue that has left me with a "modified" view of what  the word fatigue means, never experienced being that tired!

The Radiology Oncologist is deciding if she will be radiating my axilla, but I believe always the chest wall.  She also told me Rads definetly not as bad as Chemo, but I would experience some fatigue as I progress thru my 6 week treatment.

If your pathology report says no active cancer, WOW that is wonderful and a sign that the Chemo did its job COMPLETELY!  But even if there is still active cancer, the fact that you went from 7 cm to nothing is nothing short of AMAZING!  If you had positive nodes that is what Radiation is for, to kill those little buggers that still remain.  

Do you have "The Breast Book by Dr Susan Love, would strongly recommend getting it!  I will look in it tonight and see if I can find anything that might help you!

Take Care!

Susie

Stacy, My dx is similar to yours...7+ nodes. I had my chemo after surgery so I don't know how well it worked. I did have rads to my breast, underarm and neck area. They did 25 rads that covered all of this area. I had tomotherapy and I believe they entered my dx into a computer that computes what is needed.I had a mx since my tumor was small enough that I had hoped it wasn't in the nodes and I could forgo rads. At my cancer center it is standard procedure to do rads with a mx if more than the sent nodes are positive. I hated the rads, especially the daily time consumption but now that I am done I feel a little more confident that I may have prevented a local recurrence. My surgeon was totally against the rads. His biggest concern was the lymph to the arms. So far I have been lucky and my arm is fine.