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JustJan's avatar
JustJan
Member
9 years ago

Radiation - short course or long course

Hello to everybody.  I've just joined a club that I never wanted to be a member of.  I am 56 years old and was diagnosed just 3 weeks ago with DCIS and two tiny areas of invasion 0.5mm and 0.6mm.  I had a lumpectomy and three sentinel nodes removed a week later. The nodes were clear and no sign of cancer in the tissue removed, all cancer was caught in the biopsy. My surgeon and my medical oncologist were adement that I have radiation following the lumpectomy, but the radiation oncologist gave me a choice. She said as my tumour was so tiny I could opt to proceed or not. I decided to proceed based on the recommendations of my other doctors. The radiologist then recommended a short course (15 treatments).  As I was expecting 6 weeks worth I was pretty happy about that .... then I mentioned it to my other doctors. They were not so keen. The medical oncologist recommended the long course as she felt it offered better cosmetic outcomes - less chance of swelling (I have D-cup breasts so definitely DO NOT want any swelling!).  Right I thought, decision made!  I booked my appointment for the planning session and went along today.  Following the planning session I met with the radiologist again. She asked why I had changed my mind, then proceeded to offer a pretty solid case for the short course.  Now my head is spinning!  If anybody can offer any kind of help I'd really appreciate it.  I need to let her know tomorrow if I've changed my mind AGAIN (she must think I'm a total ditz) so that they can complete the planning process.  Has anybody investigated the options?  Been recommended one over the other?  I'd be really interested in your thoughts.
Thanks :smile:
Jan
radiotherapy

4 Replies

  • JustJan's avatar
    JustJan
    Member
    9 years ago
    Thank you all so much for your responses. It's such a lot to process in such a short time. I feel like both options have merits, and obviously, human nature being as it is, the short course is very tempting. I keep reminding myself that at the end of the day the goal is to prevent recurrence - there is no perfect choice. My husband is overseas this week, I guess I'm just feeling a little fragile. My friend offered to come with me to the appointment but I declined. Silly me!  Obviously not as tough as I thought I was. Again, thank you for your support. It means a lot.
    Footnote: my lovely surgeon rang me back and talked me through everything. I'm feeling a lot better now and confident in my decision
  • socoda's avatar
    socoda
    Member
    9 years ago
    Bloody hell Jan!!! Wouldn't it be good if they all played nicely together!!! I thought the whole idea of having a team is that they worked together, presented a united front :s NOT made things harder! I don't see how can you possibly be thought of as a ditz when you're making your decisions based upon the information that is being provided to you. All the best with your decision, and I hope it gets easier for you. Xx Cath
  • Zoffiel's avatar
    Zoffiel
    Member
    9 years ago
    She won't think you are a ditz. You have a lot to process and it is incredibly frustrating to have what appear to be conflicting opinions.
    I'd go with what your Rad Onc recommends. She's got your interests (and her reputation) in mind. Your surgeon or Med Onc wouldn't appreciate someone from another field over riding their expertise--though I have noticed a tendency for the surgeons in particular to get over involved with the oncologists' business.  But that's another story.
    Another day either way is not going to be the end of the world if you are feeling really conflicted. It's rare for any of these specialists to under prescribe--once again it's in both your best interests to take all appropriate action. The swelling is incidental if the treatment is going to give you best chance of survival. None of this is fun. Best of luck.
  • Tracey62's avatar
    Tracey62
    Member
    9 years ago
    Hi Jan, sorry you have had to join this club but great news the bc was caught early. My tumour was about the size of a golf ball. When it came to radiation my team advised that whether I had the short or long treatment, the dose of radiation was the same overall. So short but strong rads or long but milder rads causing hopefully less burns. As I burn easily and have super sensitive skin I chose the longer plan over 6 weeks and found that while my breast got REALLY hot, the slight burns were easily managed. Ask your team if you receive the same dose of rads with both time plans, only you know how sensitive your skin is. By the way, if you need more time to make any decisions, make them wait. This is your body and a major decision, take the time that you need.