To Boost or Not to Boost

Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Just curious as did anybody opt for getting an extra "boost" of radiation treatments as I did?  They added 5 extra to 28 treatments which gave me that extra peace of mind, but then it really did more damage to the skin I believe.  They tell me there were no studies out to see how much more benefit we get, they're just assuming it's going to help. Anyone else have input?

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  • Megadotz
    Megadotz Member Posts: 302
    edited April 2012

    Actually there is research to show that the boost helps prevent recurrences in the same breast.

    http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/summary/2007/boost-dose0707

    I had 30 regular on the breast (28 on axillary and supra-clavical lymph nodes) and 5 boosts.  I'm 3 years post Tx and so far, so good. 

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  • kathleen1966
    kathleen1966 Member Posts: 793
    edited April 2012

    I also had the boost.  I have no explanation for why I barely burned and had no blistering with rads.  I am very fair skinned, so this was a bit of a surprise. They weren't going to do it at first, they said my tumor was small and that the chances of me having a local recurrence were low. I then reminded them that I actually had more than this small tumor, and that even though it was "small" it managed to go to four lymph nodes.  So they gave me the boost! I have read somewhere (and I don't remember where, it may be in the Susan Love Breast Book) that the boost does help prevent a local recurrence. I had three fields radiated.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited April 2012

    I had no boosts as according to Dr P. they are only for relatively small cancers and with little to no node involvement. They are directed at the location of it - not the entire area as with 'reg.' rads. Don't think I could have done them if offered as I burned very bad after the 25.

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  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited April 2012

    I did the 5 boosts and my skin was looking bad before they even started....arm pit looked like raw meat...yuck! :)

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  • Bugs
    Bugs Member Posts: 1,719
    edited April 2012

    I had the boosts.  My skin did amazingly well until then, but of course the boosts are at the end of rads, anyway, when the skin is at its worst.  My poor scar line was miserable looking for awhile.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited April 2012

    I had the boots but it caused permanent damage to my skin.  I'm still NED so in that respect it's good. But I have had so many other problems because of the damaged.  

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2012

    I had the boosts, and my skin did great. I just posted elsewhere that I attribute my great skin condition to 500 mg of Resveratrol daily. There is great research on resveratrol helping you survive rads and potentiating the effects of rads against the cancer.

    I'm glad my skin did well enough to handle the boost, considering my IIIC edge-of-the-cliff status.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2012

    Thank you all for the info !! 

    Kicks:  I never was told the boosts are for "small" tumors.  Mine was huge and I think that is more the reason they offer the boost at the incision site.  It is to kill off (again) any remaining cancer cells that may have escaped during surgery.  I am not fair skin but the rads did a lot of damage to the skin --

    MRSNJband - what other problems did you notice?   

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  • Momof2inME
    Momof2inME Member Posts: 683
    edited April 2012

    I am starting rads in June. Had my RO consult last Friday. He said I would be doing 28 tx's. Never even mentioned "boosts". I had never heard of it until I read this thread.

    Anyone know what the criteria is? Now I am second guessing and should ask about it?

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2012

    Momof2:  You are same stage as I and same pos nodes.  I think it may be mainly offered to those that went back under the knife for cleaner margins after mastectomies (as with me).  They do just about anything to keep from any recurrences, but with my mixed grades in the tumor, time will tell if it was a good or bad thing.  Ask about it as I'm not entirely sure what the criteria would be. 

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  • financegirl
    financegirl Member Posts: 114
    edited April 2012

    I had a total of 35 rads, the last 6 being boost.  I also had the bolus used - both during regular rads and during boost.  In my case I was told the total number of rads I'd get and boost was never discussed till about 8 or 9 sessions prior.  At that time I was placed back in simulation to have the new parameters marked.  I was never given the option, just told I'd be getting it.   If it has to do with node involvement I do know all my doctors  (GYN, surgeon and onc) were shocked because tho the tumor was tiny (under 1cm), it sure did a lot of damage node-wise.  I do know that of 3 of us that were getting radiation during the same time period, we pretty much all began and ended around the same time, we all were given boost.  I have no idea what their node involvement was tho b/c we never discussed our cases down to that extent. 

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  • sespebadger
    sespebadger Member Posts: 249
    edited April 2012

    I had the boosts. Actually, my skin really started to burn badly, so I got a week off between initial sessions and boosts. That, silvadene on the skin and some pain meds really helped. I healed fast, but my skin still looks kind of sunburned about 1 1/2 years later. Glad I did it, but I hated radiation.

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  • diana50
    diana50 Member Posts: 2,134
    edited April 2012
    i did the boosts.  thinking it was important to boost the cancer cells out of my body.Cool
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