3 week or 6 week radiation after chemo

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Melissa10
Melissa10 Member Posts: 7
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi! First time posting. Been reading a lot and very thankful for this site. Wondering if I can connect with anyone who is in a similar situation as me and may have information. I am 33, pre-menopausal with 2 positive nodes. One was microscopic. Had a lumpectomy. Less than 2cm. Currently almost halfway through chemo and met with radiation oncologist yesterday. He states I am eligible for whole breast radiation after chemo for 6.5 weeks or 3 weeks at a higher dose. The "canadian" regimen is the three week. Considering I work full time and have a two year old, three weeks sounds much more appealing! However, when I researched the study it was conducted on post menopausal women with node negative cancer. I think my Dr's thought was that given the chemo I am already receiving, I am still a candidate for the 3 week even though I don't exactly fit the profile of those studied. Because in theory, the chemo will get any possible stray cells in the nodes or wherever. I would love to hear from any women who chose 3 weeks of radiation vs 6.5, are premenopausal, did chemo, and had a lumpectomy. I am also her2 + but not sure that matters. Thanks!

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  • BarbaraA
    BarbaraA Member Posts: 7,378
    edited February 2012

    I did the Canadian protocol and it was fine. I was fatigued but did not burn. HINT: use emu oil. Works like a charm and my Radonc now recommends it to his patients.

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  • Melissa10
    Melissa10 Member Posts: 7
    edited February 2012

    Thank you for your response and the great tip on emu oil! Are you also pre-menopausal? Did you have chemo? Thanks!

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited February 2012

    I agree, it's discouraging that so many BC studies look only at post-meno women.  (I'm pre-meno, but didn't need chemo)

    FWIW, I never considered a shorter regime. I know convenience is a factor for a lot of patients, but my biggest concern was the risk of possible long-term SEs (I have a rare bone condition, and rads can sometimes lead to brittle bones down the line, or other long-term SEs). So in my case my RO, the head of the department, recommended the old-school 6.5 week regimen. He said it had the longest track record too. ( I know people have different philosophies on this, whether they prefer new medical technology or not. Personally, I tend to choose the one with the longest track record)

    I've known several women who were able to adjust their work schedules to fit with rads. i.e. start work a little earlier and do rads at the end of the day. One woman I know was able to work from home most days and even rode her bike to/from rads.

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  • Melissa10
    Melissa10 Member Posts: 7
    edited February 2012

    Thank You for your thoughts. I guess after chemo, 3 weeks just sounds so much more enticing than 6.5! I just want to be done and enjoy my summer. However, I also do NOT want to deal with this BC stuff EVER again, so tried and true 6.5 could be worth it. I will make an appt to meet with my radiation oncologist again and re-discuss this. I am not sure why he is offering 3 as an option.

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  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited February 2012

    I was trying for an even shorter version, External Beam Partial Breast Rads which is a five day, 2x a day five day treatment and it's over.  I felt it was more appropriate for my stage and grade of bc.  I got the runaround from several of the best cancer centers, so I opted out of rads entirely and am just doing tamoxifen.  

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