Heart risk from radiation

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amazinggrace7
amazinggrace7 Member Posts: 2
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer



Hi everyone I am new here... Want to ask a question about the heart damage from radiation.



My RO is doing treatment planning for me. He mentioned if i want to treat internal mammary nodes, there will be 27% of my heart area exposed to the radiation. My understanding is radiation will for sure leave some scar in the heart, but only some poeple (maybe 20%) will get heart disease from that. Is it correct? He wants me to decided whether or not to treat internal mammary nodes.



Is heart involved in the radiation acceptable or normal nowadays? Is 27% a big area? I read about some articles saying radiation a decade ago caused quite a lot heart damage. Wondering if 27% of heart involved will be similar to those cases.



I am under 40 and want to try my best to fight the disease. Based on my situation --MX on the right, a big tumor and 8 lymph nodes involved, i really want to have internal mammary treated. But the doctor seemed prefer to leaving the nodes alone to save the heart. I dont know if my decision is right.



Please kindly advice! Thanks!



one more question, my RO mentioned the treatment will be 5.5 weeks long, so maybe 28 days. From here, looks like poeple are getting 33 treatments. Why the difference? Anyone knows?

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  • lionessdoe
    lionessdoe Member Posts: 780
    edited October 2012

    I am 4.5 years out from treatment. I am currently being evaluated for cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that can be induced by radiaition over the left breast. My dystolic numbers remain in the 90's, while my systolic is usually within a normal range. Dystolic heart failure is more common for women than men.

    Hopefully the following link will add to tour need to make an informed decision:

    http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crp/2011/317659/

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  • JacquelineG
    JacquelineG Member Posts: 282
    edited October 2012

    I had my internal mammary nodes treated, but was reassured by my RO that the radiation area was very exact and would not reach my heart. I was nervous about this but the RO was reassuring... I was treated almost 4 years ago. I, however, did not have a choice, as i had a positive internal mammary node. I really wanted those zapped!

    good luck with your decision!

    jackie

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  • lionessdoe
    lionessdoe Member Posts: 780
    edited October 2012

    I didn't have a choice either. Its nice to have choices, but sometimes making the decision will drive us right up the wall! One thing I failed to take into consideration is how sensitive I am to just about evrything! I don't know if radiation oncologists take our differences into consideration. Like fair skinned versus olive skin. A question or two about whether we burn easily in the sun or not seems like a logical variable to consider. Oh well, I took all 33 days and here I am hoping my heart keeps pumping. There is no do over!

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited October 2012

    Lioness, my rad doc did ask how sensitive I was to sun. I am fair-skinned, but tan fairly easily. Rad doc said that she thought I would hold up relatively OK, except at the very end. She was right. Like you I really did not have much choice and got a massive rad dose. At least it was on the right. The docs claim that my heart should not have been affected. I remain skeptical, but like you said not much I can do about it, except eat a heathy diet, exercise and stay away from the cigarettes.

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  • Kimwith6
    Kimwith6 Member Posts: 9
    edited November 2012

    Hi, I had 11 nodes cancerous, mostly axillary but because they came so close to the clavicle, I got 2 beams of radiation: one to the left breast/axilla, and one to the supraclavicular/clavicle area.  I am very fair skinned, red hair, dont tan.  I received 38 treatments. I was very nervous about the radiation because my mom, whose breast ca spread to her lymph nodes in the neck, had horrible burns (20 years ago!)  My RO was great, when I got really red, he said, We are giving it a rest, we skipped a Friday and Monday, (during which time I had my gallbladder removed!), and I barely got uncomfortable. One weird thing: Because the supraclavicular nodes are behind bone, that beam was deeper and my "burn" area was on the BACK of my shoulder, not the front. Also, I got radiation pneumonitis anc coughed for 6 months, that about drove me nuts.  I have my heart checked once a year, because of the radiation and one of my drugs (adriamycin? or epirubicin? cant remember even which one I took)  can cause early onset heart disease. My heart rate got VERY high during my treatment with chemo, like 125-135, and my blood pressure is high, but heart looks great so far.  ALSO, I dont know if they didnt ask me and did it anyway, or what, my internal mammary nodes were not mentioned, but when I got reconstruction, the surgeon said they removed 3 internal mam. nodes and sent them to pathology because they looked suspicious. The path report, after 10 nervous days, stated that they appeared to be nodes that were now dead due to probable radiation. (Not a direct quote, my words.)

    Good luck with your decision!

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited November 2012

    Kim, I had the burn on the shoulderblade as well, still have discoloration there 8 months later. My surgeon says it might be permanent.

    Like you I also had epirucibin and have had a couple of heart ultrasounds. I did also have some coughing and dyspnea in the summer, but they could not see anything on the CT and my heart was fine.

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  • lionessdoe
    lionessdoe Member Posts: 780
    edited November 2012

    According to my records, I had the supraclavicular nodes and the infraclavicular included. Supra - front, infra behind. I totaled my car this week and have to reschedule all of my heart tests. Meanwhile my pulse still races and my heart is still acting up! High dystolic numbers can lead to dystolic heart failure especially in Women. High dystolic can be indicative of cardiomyapothy. We'll see!

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  • clariceak
    clariceak Member Posts: 752
    edited November 2012

    It's not much of a choice, is it?  I had intermammary nodes but I didn't even question what the possible side effects might be.  I am 3C so I just told my onc to throw everything at me that wouldn't kill me outright.  I do think my heart was damaged by the treatment - either ac or rads.  I never had any previous problems, but sometimes my heartbeat seems irregular and occasionally it wakes me up in the middle of the night.

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  • faithfulheart
    faithfulheart Member Posts: 544
    edited November 2012

    Yes do the rads , I really feel strongly its the less of 2 evils!!

    In my prayers................I had left rads 4 sights it just made scence, I would do the same again..........We can watch our heart and lungs closely but, we get one shot to zap the beast, just do it!!!!

    Blessings for a great outcome and long, long life..........

    Steph

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  • purple32
    purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
    edited November 2012

    Are any of you who have irregular heartbeats on beta blockers ?
    If not, please ask your DR about them.

    Good luck to all.

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