No radiation after lumpectomy

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Sunny1012
Sunny1012 Member Posts: 14
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I need some input about not doing the radiation following a lumpectomy.  I have ILC , er positive her negative , The small tumor has been removed, clear nodes.  I have read the research and tons of articles, and have had three  radiation oncologist appointments and I am still not convinced that the long term side effects are worth the risk. I REALLY need some input from you all whether you skipped radiation and did nothing else, did just the hormonal therapy or if you did both and what are the risk and benefits you experienced.   I would like to know that I am making the best decision possible regardless of which way I go and I am running out of time to make a decision.  PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!!!!

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  • ruthbru
    ruthbru Member Posts: 57,235
    edited February 2014

    There are some studies that show that radiation may not be needed for women 65 and older, but if you are younger than that and had a lumpectomy, you need radiation. If you still have some cancer cells lingering in your breast, the anti-hormonals are not going to take care of them. Radiation today is very targeted. I had no short or long terms SEs from radiation almost seven years ago.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited February 2014

    Sunny, here you'll find one of the studies that ruthbru mentions: Most Older Women Seem to Benefit from Radiation After Lumpectomy

    Also good info on Lumpectomy Plus Radiation in the main Breastcancer.org site.

    Hope this helps you make the best decision for you.

    The Mods

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  • rilady
    rilady Member Posts: 5
    edited February 2014

    Hi Sunny,

    I am 68, had lumpectomy in Jan. 2014 for DCIS, LCIS, tubular ca, Stage 1, 6mm tumor. ,clean margins, neg nodes. Her2neg, ER+/PR+. Spoke with my radiologist regarding new studies out in Dec. 2013. Women 65 and over with above similar diagnoses were shown to have about the same recurrence of breast cancer as those not having radiation. So I opted not to have radiation, now on anastrozole 1 mg daily. Check out the podcasts on this website. They explain quite a lot. Remember also once you opt to have radiation in the affected breast and you have a recurrence, you cannot have radiation again in that breast. If you are not in the 65 and over age range, you may have to discuss more with your doctor. Are you able to see specialists in the larger medical cancer centers ie. Dana Farber in Ma., Sloan-Kettering in NY , MD Anderson in Tx. Some insurances will pay for it, Might be worth your while, Good luck in your decision.

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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited February 2014

    But Rilady, her diagnosis is not similar to yours in that she has Invasive cancer which is more likely to  metastasize.

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  • ChgoDeb
    ChgoDeb Member Posts: 31
    edited February 2014

    I know EXACTLY what you're going thru.  I met with 3 radiation oncologists for additional opinions; and consensus was to do it....I too was/am very concerned about the long term side effects; but the studies seem to validate the importance of it.   I was stage 1, grade 1, clean margins.  As they all said, why take the chance of having some microscopic cancer cells remaining, that you could get rid of thru radiation.  I've had 8 treatments so far, 12 to go (so far, so good...).

    I'm REALLY scared about taking the pill.  my doc prescribed femora....tons of scary side effects.  I'm going to give it a shot; but if I experience bad side effects, will stop it.  Good luck with your decision....I know it's SO hard and overwhelming with all the decisions we have to make. 

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