Radiation for node negative?

[G. Ann]

Is radiation now (or in the past) recommended for early stage (1 or 2) Her2neu+ with no known node involvement? Recently I've been noticing entries stating Stage 1 and 2 women have received radiation and some were 0 nodes. If you are Her2neu+ and ER+, does that mandate radiation?

Radiation was not even mentioned when I was dx'd in 2004. At that time negative nodes seems to have dictated less treatment. Just curious.

[Sheila]

G Ann
You did noy need radiation because you had a mastectomy...I believe radiation is used for lumpectomy.

[RhondaH]

is correct. That is why some women opt for a mastectomy. Take care and God bless.

Rhonda

[Becky]

Also, even with masectomy, if the tumor was very close to the chest wall and there were not clean margins or the margins were tight (1mm), radiation may also be indicated. Secondly, even if the axilliary (armpit) nodes are negative, sometimes it is discovered that mammary nodes or a node was involved and that also constitutes radiation.

[tousled1]

I had a double mastectomy and still required radiation. Reason being I had so many lymph nodes that were cancerous.

[Brenda_D]

My surgeon gave me a choice of lumpectomy and rads, or mastectomy and no rads. That was before the pet scan showed a positive IM node and it couldn't be removed.
So even if I'd have a mastectomy, I'd still had to have rads for the + node, even though all my excised axillary nodes were negative.

[G. Ann]

Thanks for all your responses and reminding me of tx differences between lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. My lapse in memory was either chemo brain related or a good amount of time from tx. Time does have a way of making past events a bit fuzzy, which is a good thing.

[Bev]

Neg nodes, but rads anyways. Surgeon said if you opt for lumpy, rads were mandatory. Having chest wall tumor, I think rads would have been advised in any case.

[weezie1053]

I too had zero nodes, but since I went with the mastectomy, no rads were necessary.

Louise

[bonnie]

Stage 2a, HER2+, ER/PR-, negative nods, lumpectomy, clean margins, chemo, and radiation. Treatment started in Jan. 2004. Currently NED.

Bonnie