Her2 positive breast cancer and radiatiion

i am by no means an expert!  I have been reading alot about this since mom's diagnosis,  all that i have read says this treatment is best chance to beat cancer. I would recommend speaking with experts getting second opinion. Try American cancer society, moffitt , md Anderson they all have 1800#. Wish you the best :-)

Oops. Just realized this post was originally started on Stage IV, probably in error. Maybe mods can move it? 

Don't worry - not stupid! I had to look too - I have never done it, just know that is how others have done it.  To do this you would find a post with a moderator comment, click on the moderator screen name, then click on the thing that says "send member a private message", then just explain that you posted content in the wrong place and could they move it for you - that should work.  I linked something below that has a moderator you can click on, so saved the first two steps for you.

https://community.breastcancer.org/member/56097/profile

Mannettes - I don't understand why you've been told radiotherapy doesn't work for HER2+ people with breast cancer.  I've never heard that before and am wondering why the oncologist would prescribe it as part of the treatment if they knew it didn't work for us.  It would be a complete waste of money and resources if that was the case.  I was told that the radiotherapy was a very important part of my treatment and to help prevent a recurrence in the area that the original cancer was and also to any of the nodes in my collar bone area.

Mannettes - Radiation has absolutely nothing to do with HER2. It's all about targeting that area to make sure there are no cells surviving. All women who have lumpectomies get radiation. If you had had a mastectomy you would not be told to have radiation. Lumpectomy + radiation = mastectomy.

There are myriad reasons why radiation can be recommended after mastectomy, including lymph node involvement, size of tumor , location of tumor, and margin status to name a few. 

It's good that you are asking questions and making informed decisions about your health care.  My understanding is that you can't be sure that the combination of surgery/chemo and herceptin will get all the little cancer cells.  Clavicle area, deep chest, all lymph nodes, etc....  Radiation assists in targeting those cells that might not have been reached with surgery and chemo.  

I did not have radiation, and had a positive node.  This was for a very specific reason, according to my BS and MO and the consulting RO - the node was INTRAmammary, not axillary (and not INTERmammary). According to them, there was nothing left to radiate as it was in the breast tissue.  They believe the chemo, herceptin and perjeta will mop up any cells that escaped.  I sure pray they are correct.  According to them, I would have gotten a 1% benefit from radiation. I had already decided that I would accept a 3% or more benefit, so this did not make the cut in my mind.  Good luck.

Thanks manettes, the thing is I no longer have any lymph nodes in level 1 or 2 of my armpit because all were removed. That's why I wonder about the radiation there. I'm going to ask at my next appt. this week. I'm still doing AC so I've got time to mull this over. I personally am of the throw the book at it mentality as that's what works for me. Thank you for sharing your story. Linda

I didn't do radiation and was HER2+. My mastectomy provided good margins and no lymph node involvement. However, my 4 tumors (3 DCIS and 1 IDC) were all relatively small. The RO I consulted with recommended no radiation.

Kendra

hi sugarcanes, check out the nccn guidelines. Post mastectomy radiation is recommended for those with 1-3 lymph node