Radiation and long term sideeffects

A friend of mine when she was 20 had a tumour wrapped around her optic nerve and whilst the tumour turned out to be benign they couldn't get it all and hence radiation treatment. Radiation did the trick in killing the rest but over the years she has ended up with 5 radiation induced sarcomas resulting in another operation at one point. Nicki is in her mid 50s and is pretty upbeat it all and just deals with it as it occurs. Now i know the way they do radiation these days has improved heaps since the mid 80s but I'd be asking a lot of questions so you can make a well informed decision.
Best of luck with what you decide @CassW88 it's never easy particularly if you are under stress. I decided to to be part of a radiation clinical trial, designed to find whether early stage, hormone +, her 2-, cancers really need radiation. I had to be happy with the thought that i might be put in the group that just received the hormone therapy, which is what happened. I'm still happy because i also know that i have radiation up my sleeve should i ever need it down the track.
Cathxx

@CassW88 hey there! I was 43 when I had my first diagnosis, I had breast conserving surgery and as I was DCIS they recommended Radiation then onto Tamoxifen. I did do that, and at the 4yr mark I had a recurrence in the scar tissue of the surgery :/ inspite of radiation and tamoxifen and in my 12 month checkup. I know in a third of cases Tamoxifen doesn't work, but they can't explain how it happened when I had radiation. Not sure if radiation added to it, they really don't know. So at 47 I had a 2.5cm tumor, Stage 2 Grade 3, and was immediate chemo after more breast surgery. 12 months later in 2017 I chose a single mastectomy to save it happening again very reluctantly, as I wanted to keep my breast, I could not have radiation again though.

After what Ive been through, I think for me? I wouldnt have done the radiation for what I had, I also think had I just done the single mastectomy back then with recon I wouldnt have faced it again. Its so hard to know whats best for you. My Mum had a single mastectomy and no treatment and was 26yrs free of it. I only did a single based on recommendation of the genetic counsellors as I was BRCA negative. 

All the best with the decision, ask many many questions, one of the strangest side effects Ive had for 8yrs is cramping inside my chest and back from radiation. 

M x

Absolutely - never accept something that you feel is wrong.  Always question.

 I had a double  mastectomy , following chemo and then radiation , side affects I had and still have , I was one of the unlucky one that ended with 3 rd degree burns and it damaged my left lung.( but I did have 25 treatments in 4 areas )
  So ask how many treatments you are having , as soon as your skin gets sore make sure that the oncologist is aware of it , if you get a registrar ask them to refer to their supervisor for a second opinion, I was silly and trusted what my trainee Dr said and it cost me a week in hospital.

  Just ask lots of questions before , during and after, all the best.

I know there is a possibility but I don't think it's too common, particularly with the treatments now compared to what they were 20+ years ago.  Did he give you a statistical figure?  In the end, though, it's all about what you can live with.  Personally, as @millie  saysI would go with the lumpectomy & rads and worry about the sarcoma if and when it happened, but I'm not the one who has to live with the decision.

Hi @CassW88, I underwent lumpectomy and rads last year at 42. I didn’t get a time frame for cancer from radiation, but knew it was a possibility. The way I figure is that lumpectomy plus radiation appears to offer the same outcome as mastectomy. So, keep the boob for as long as possible. Cross the reoccurrence road if it happens. Who knows, might get cancer somewhere else. Hope not. But I chose to do enough to treat today’s cancer and preserve as much of my otherwise healthy body as possible. 

 Best wishes for your decision and treatment plan. Xx