Radiation mapping field question

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JRNJ
JRNJ Member Posts: 573
edited March 2020 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

I was mapped today. I have 4 tattoos that form a rectangle around my breast. Does this create the limits or edges of radiation or does it go beyond the tattoos? Typical me, I’m afraid they are missing the lymph nodes under my arm or not going far enough in the area under my arm where the cancer was.

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited March 2020

    The tats will be used to line you up with the machine. The fuel will be determined by the RO.

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  • flashlight
    flashlight Member Posts: 698
    edited March 2020

    JRNJ, When you have your weekly visit with your radiologist he/she should let you know if you will be receiving boost radiation, towards the end of your treatment, to your underarm lymph nodes area. Treatment will end to your whole breast they do a CT scan and the radiologist reviews that for the boost on your next treatment day.

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  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited March 2020

    My boosts were to the tumor beds. The tattoos help the techs line up the equipment. Treatment centers have different methods but I had markings drawn on every week or so that outlined the field. At least part of your underarm is definitely included in whole-breast radiation. ROs are very good at this!

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  • gb2115
    gb2115 Member Posts: 1,894
    edited March 2020

    I think there's different ways they can do it. I only had two tattoos...center of chest and on my side under my armpit, but the radiation field went all the way up to my collarbone. Ask them to explain it when they go, to find out where your field is. I had 4 different radiation fields, they said.

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  • JRNJ
    JRNJ Member Posts: 573
    edited March 2020

    Thanks everyone! I called them today, I didn't want to wait until I started radiation. The nurse clarified what you told me, that the tattoos are to line you up with the machine, and the radiation will extend beyond the marks. He did also tell me I will be getting Boost along the scarline, as that is the most common place for reoccurance. Howevere, I am most paranoid about the nodes though. With 2 our of 5 positive nodes, and extranodal extenstion, and ILC being sneaky, I feel there are more positive nodes left behind. And chemo may not work on nodes with a small amount of ILC. Did you get boost to the underarm nodes? I'll talk to him about that later. Boost is done at the end.

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  • flashlight
    flashlight Member Posts: 698
    edited March 2020

    JRNJ, Yes I had the boost to my underarm. I didn't have any positive nodes, but my RO wanted to make sure this was covered. Maybe it has to do with where my tumor was located? That was definitely captured during the whole breast radiation.

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  • JRNJ
    JRNJ Member Posts: 573
    edited March 2020

    Thanks flashlight. I'll talk to him but doesn’t seem like a flexible guy. I thought I liked him but now I'm skeptical again. My tumor was by the armpit and I had positive nodes and extranodal extension. That should be the focus.And I'm getting diep so the scar will be gone. Too late to switch drs now. I’ll be lucky if they don’t cancel on me. I heard Sloan is cancelling things.

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited March 2020

    I’ve done rads twice, each side, 7 years apart. Different RO, same place. No CT either time before boosts.

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited March 2020

    I had whole breast radiation that included the axilla and clavicle area in the regular sessions for about 28 days. The boosts aren't stronger (in spite of the name), they're just more narrowly focused at the incision and tumor bed.

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  • gb2115
    gb2115 Member Posts: 1,894
    edited March 2020

    I had one positive node and received underarm radiation, but not a boost to the area.

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  • JRNJ
    JRNJ Member Posts: 573
    edited March 2020

    Thanks again for the info.!! I'm getting 28 regular treatments of breast wall and nodes and 7 boost to incision area, so I guess I should stop worrying that it is not enough, it is probably enough.

    Judy

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