Mammosite Radiation -- any long or late-term side effects?

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KAK
KAK Member Posts: 1,679
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi, everyone.  Haven't been here for a while.  Just wanted to gather some feedback from women who had mammosite radiation a while ago -- more than six months or a year or more ago.  I'm sorry to say I have a good friend now at the beginning of this wretched journey.  So, I'm trying to get her some info about long-term radiation side effects.   I had regular radiation, but did the 3-week, once a day Vancouver protocol.   It was wonderful in that I didn't have the kind of awful skin problems that the 6 or 7 week protocol can cause.  I wasn't able to get Mammosite because of my particular surgery.  However, I still have -- and will always have -- chest & armpit & shoulder tightness.  My armpit really got fried.  I have also struggled mightily with post-treatment fatigue -- 2 years!!  Just finally starting to feel better from that!!  I've also had respiratory problems, asthma in the year following radiation, and scarring on the outside of that lung. 

Anyway, I would guess that because Mammosite is more targeted, that there are fewer long-term problems with your armpit, chest muscles, lung/respiratory issues & shoulder motion, but I'd like to hear from other women.  Did any of you end up with fatigue?  Any long-term problems with the site of balloon insertion?  Any other things happening?  

Thanks, everyone.

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  • cycle-path
    cycle-path Member Posts: 1,502
    edited May 2011

    I had something similar to Mammosite -- IORT, or Intraoperative Radiation Therapy. A device similar to the Mammosite applicator is inserted DURING surgery and the radiation is delivered then, in a single dose.

    This was in January (2011). While I did have post-radiation fatigue for a few weeks, there were zero other effects. No soreness, no skin problems, nothing. To anyone who can get IORT: do it! 

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  • Marple
    Marple Member Posts: 19,143
    edited May 2011

    Bumping up for KAK.

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  • BeckySharp
    BeckySharp Member Posts: 935
    edited May 2011

    KAK--I am only three months out from mammosite, but no problems so far.  I had fatigue for about three weeks but not very badly.  I did go back to work the Monday after I finished on Friday, but went home each day to take a nap and slept 9-10 hours a night for a few weeks.  The incision where the balloon was placed has healed nicely.  At this point I am happy I did it.  I hope I don't regret it in the future.  I could still do traditional radiation if I have a recurrence.  I am having more fatigue from tamoxifen than the radiation.  Becky

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  • katsOK
    katsOK Member Posts: 142
    edited May 2011

    A lot of women develop a seroma from the mamnosite radiation in the breast. I developed one afterwards and it caused disccomfort for about a year . I finally had to be reoperated on due to an infection in the space. Both types of radiation can cause problems it is hard to know beforehand if you will have problems. I would go with regular radiation if I could do it over. I think mine was tool large and too high a grade for mammsite.

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