Rads OR Tamox?

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JenMac
JenMac Member Posts: 8
edited June 2014 in Stage I Breast Cancer

I'm 37 yo, have not had children, but very much want them.  I do not have any family history of BC, and am BRCA-.   Since my diagnosis, I have completely changed my diet - lots of fruit and veggies, very little meat and dairy, organic everything.  I exercise.

Also - I was on birth control for a very long time.  Obviously, I am off now.  Tumor is very ER+ 

IF my nodes and margins are clear, and based on my stats - what would you do?  And if you had to chosed EITHER rads OR Tamoxifen, but not both - which would you choose?

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  • Sherryc
    Sherryc Member Posts: 5,938
    edited February 2011

    I guess I have never heard of anyone having to choose between the two of them because they work completly different.  Rads is only working on your dx breast to kill any existing cancer.  I don't believe it will have an effect on Fertility.  The tamoxifen is for your ER+receptors.  It does not put you into menapause so you will still be able to have children.  There are others on some of the threads that are young and have gone through treatment and now having children.  I know people that choose between mastecomy or lum & rads.  Don't think I quite answered your question.  But also you did not say what kind of surgery you have had or are having.

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  • JenMac
    JenMac Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2011

    Sorry - having a lumpectomy and sentinal node biopsy. 

    I don't HAVE to choose.  But I'm not convinced that I need both, given that my cancer is Stage 1 and pretty non-agressive.  I fear the SE's of both treatments.  Plus, if I ever DO have a recurrance, having rads now means I won't be able to have them later.

    With a low oncotype score (don't know what it is yet, just assuming), would the increase in life expectancy be more than a few points with both as opposed to one or the other? 

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  • bevin
    bevin Member Posts: 1,902
    edited February 2011

    HI Jen Mac- I am sorry about your diagnosis and will try to give you some information regarding your question that may helpful. Of course everyone is different, but if you have a lumpectomy, your results for reoccurrence are very  if you have invasive cancer ( IDC) and do not follow with radiation.  I believe I read 35%, but you'd need to ask your oncologist or breast surgeon. That being said, Lumpectomy has the same rate of success as mastactomy does, but only when coupled with radiation. Tamoxifen is used after radiation to treat hormone positive breast cancer to reduce reoccurrence rate.  If I could suggest, have your surgeon or oncologist break down the percent decrease in reoccurrence rate for each piece of treatment. They have those numbers and can share them.  I am young too (to me anyway) and just finished up treatment.  A great and valid source of information  is cancer.gov and of course this site. Both have great lists of questions to ask your doctor. I'd encourage you to write them down and ask the docs. Its so hard to remember everything in these early stages. So much information is coming at you.

    They also have an Onco Dx test you may qualify for. If possible try to have this. It gives another piece of the puzzle to help determine reoccurrence rate and distant reoccurence rate and determines by testing genes in your tumor if it will respond well to  chemo or if it will respond better to antihormonal tx only.

     Good luck, I am sending thoughts of healing and strength as you go through this.  Keep us posted on how you're doing. 

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