Question about Rads and TN status...

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11tyBillion
11tyBillion Member Posts: 96
edited June 2014 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

I am TN, multi-focal IDC (largest of three was 2cm), high grade, had a Bilateral mx (12/2), they got clear margins, and only one node (the sentinal node) was affected out of the the 11 they removed.  I started chemo 1/6.  The dr's seem torn on my need for Rads -- matter of fact, we are having trouble getting stats out of them for TN folks and rads.  The Rad Dr. says I should get the rads (of course), my Oncologist seems to be in the middle.  I even think the Rad Dr. said that there are not many stats on TN folks and rads and if it improves outcome (?) -- really?  I doubt that.

I have no problem taking the rads if they can tell me that they can reduce reoccurence by a certain percentage ... but I am not up for just taking Rads because it is jsut part of a protocol, and has nothing positive to add to my diagnosis and outcome, you know? 

 Anyone have any imput on this?

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Comments

  • justpayton1
    justpayton1 Member Posts: 786
    edited February 2010

    Okay so we are the same age..

    I am BRCA 1 w/ a strong family history.

    I did dose dense chemo 1st

    than masectomy followed by 33 rads. I was told I was borderline for rads but given my family history they would strongly recomend it. I went ahead and did it. Not so much because I wanted to but I felt I should do everything to prevent it. This is a personal choice. I have 2 boys 13 and 11 and I wanted to cover all my bases.

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  • living4today
    living4today Member Posts: 215
    edited February 2010

    I was in the same boat as you, however after bilat mastectomy they did find DCIS in Rt breast that we didn't know about that unfortunately didn't have clear margins...my left was IDC 2 cm multifocular w/1+node.  After discussing it with rads MD and doing the research (if you haven't checked out No Surrender web site...maybe check it out--I believe I did find out a bit more about TN and rads on that site.)...I did do rads to both RT and LF sides...I am glad that I did everything I could to  hopefully prevent a reoccurance.  Good luck with your decision!

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  • sftfemme65
    sftfemme65 Member Posts: 790
    edited February 2010

    Another tricky thing...rads....As you can see I had 3 pos nodes out of 20.  My onc said no rads, 2 different rad oncs said the same thing.  The thought is 4 or more you do rads, less than that is no rads.  I think 3 is closer to 4 than 0, so I really wanted to do it.  Instead I opted for a clinical trial. 

    Was it the right thing, I dont know.  I have met women with no nodes who reoccurred.  I have met women who reoccurred that had rads too.  So I have chosen to accept what treatment I did as the best for me and pray, have faith that it was enough to beat this beast.

    Teresa

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  • hope2
    hope2 Member Posts: 73
    edited February 2010

    Hi 11tybillion and other gals,

    My tumour was very large over 8cm but my nodes despite being enlarged were negative, my oncologist said to me it would decrease my chance of a local recurrence by 60%, to me that was huge. the way he explained it to me after telling me how lucky i was and had been the subject of many discussions with the cancer care team was that the tumour was removed but the problem was they did not know what caused the cancer to grow in the first place and so they do not know how to prevent it coming back or any cancer cells in hiding to grow, so chemo would increase my five year survival chances as would radiation, i had 33 rads was originally down for 35 rads in quite a large area. i am also on the avastin trial to make chemo more effective and improve five year survival rates.

    i think it was influenced by the follwoing factors, the size of the tumour, 75% of my breast had been affected prior to modified radical mascetomy, the grade 3, the fact that it had grown along the chest wall and the margin was too small to be measured, my age and general health, the fact it was on the move and extra skin and tissue outside of the breast had to be taken for clearance.

    i have had few side effects so far from radiation, sore ribs (damaged nerve), skin damage, 3 nice little tats. of course as with most of us we have so many little bits of pain it is hard to know what caused them. best of luck with your decision, it is not easy. i was given no choice and probally better off as my oncologist thinks the only way to treat tnc is chemo and radiation and choice of taking trial drug.

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  • jenn3
    jenn3 Member Posts: 3,316
    edited February 2010

    Initially I was told I would not need radiation, that was when they that only 1 maybe 2 nodes were affected.  However, after surgery they discovered that 4 nodes were affected.  They - the onc and rad onc decided I should have rads based on the number of nodes.  

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  • Titan
    Titan Member Posts: 2,956
    edited February 2010

    I had 0 node..but had a lumpecotmy so rads was a given....

    I dont know..but with an infected node..with a masectomy or not I would go through rads...seriously...except for a few women..and know a couple..meet with Betsy on Sept rads..they really are nothing...just a few weeks of your time..I liked that they were killing any cancer cells that may still be in my breast..and I especially liked then when they did the boosts on the tumor bed..I just kept thinking..zap those suckers..damn it!

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  • vbabey
    vbabey Member Posts: 48
    edited March 2010

    I had a bilateral mas and sentinal node biopsy on 2/19/10 after 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of taxotere and cisplatin, 9 cm tumor was gone as was 2.9 anxilla node tumor before op...only one node removed and was negative...some mico cells seen in removed tissue, have not seen report or onco yet, only surgeon, but because of large original tumor, surgeon says onco will still reccomend rads as agressive treatment for a cancer that grew fast..protocol would not show a need for rads as i had a masectomy and nodes were negative!  I am sure that radiation will make my reconstruction hell, but knew that going in, hope I will do well with radiation and hope to start asap...do not want a repeat of this. I will post what onco tellsl me, seeing her on the 8th..have total faith in her. 

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  • chinablue
    chinablue Member Posts: 545
    edited March 2010

    Why do you say rads will make your rad will make your reconstruction hell?  I am in radiation now (after 4 x AC, 12 x T).  I will have stage II of diep reconstruction a year from now.  Are you saying that my recon won't work?

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  • vbabey
    vbabey Member Posts: 48
    edited March 2010

    chinablue no, not saying yours wont work, just mine, I am taking chance by trying implants after radiation...I am aware that failure rate pretty high, and i may have to have what you are having instead in the raditated breast if it does not work.

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