Radiation to lymph node area?
 

I just saw my radiation oncologist. I had one lymph node involved out of 9. She is not going to radiate the lymph node area only the breast. Just wondering what everyone else received?

Donna I had three nodes affected and 3 area's radiated to include the neck area. (Sorry can't remember the exact word right now...supraclavical I think)

I was glad as my friends sil did not have this but had a recurrance around that area but in your case maybe with just one node they don't have to go to those lenghs.
I'll be curious to read what other's have had to.
maybe mine was overkill!!!
Tricia

I'm stage III and when I had my radiation I had what the radiation oncologist refered to as "whole chest radiation." In other words, my mastectomy area, supraclavical area, and my axillary area.

I had 1 microscopic cell in my first sentinal node and second sentinal node was clean. However, when surgery was being performed my husband was told that there was no lymph node involvment. When everything is gone over with a "fine tooth comb" in pathology after my mastectomy was completed is when the microscopic cell was found in first node. My surgeon was confident that it wasn't in any other nodes (she said for all we knew the tiny pin head size cell could have come from the needle from the mapping) and I was also. So confident that I wouldn't allow them to go back in and take more lymph nodes. BUT, because of that choice both radiation oncologists I consulted with said radiation to that area was crucial. So..........of course, I did it.


Mary Jo

It is my gut feeling as well as the articles I have read that says radiation to the affected node area, no matter how small or micro, should be the standard procedure. I would strongly suggest that this point is gone over with a second or a third opinion. Many oncs just are not on the ball sometimes.

Best luck.

Radiation treatments
 

Hi there. I had 3+ nodes and had a double mast. Four areas were radiated, to include under the arm, the nodes near the sternum, the nodes above my breast, and my shoulderblade area. They tried to "circle" all of the nodes around the breast and I was told that this had the same cure rate as if the nodes in those areas had been removed (they did only remove the auxillary nodes). I may have needed extra treatment because I had more node involvement.


Love, Kelly

Radiation to lymph nodes
 

Hi Donna,
I had one large, fully involved lymph node positive out of 20. I had radiation to the breast and supraclavicular area ( above the collar bone). My radiation oncologist did not do the axillary area under the arm where the nodes were taken from. It would increase the chances of lymphedema. Hope this helps and is what your doc is thinking.
Leslie

I know enough to be dangerous
 

I had 3 nodes that were positive out of 14. I had chemo first and the chemo shrunk the tumors and the nodes down to the bare minium. Then Bilateral mast. and then 33 rads. My rads were to my chest, under my arm up by my neck and the back of my shoulder. I was not given the names like upper clavical. They just drew a picture for me where they were going to radiate. From the best of my knowledge, they radiated 4 areas. My oncologist called my treatment "the full meal deal." I do not know if this was overkill, but I am thru with all of it. Both my surgeon and oncologist recommended this course of treatment, and I decided to trust them. My husband listened to everything they said, did his own research. We both are comfortable that we have good doctors and took their advice and are happy with the treatment. Good luck. Each situation is a little different. Ask lots of questions and get a second opinion. You want all the ammunition you can get.

All the best, Catherine

I had 2 pos lymph nodes and I did not get radiation in my underarm. My rads onc said that they will radiate if you have 3 or more positive nodes. I had had lymphadema already by the time I started rads and I was concerned the rads would make it worse. If I didn't have lymphadema I would have probably insisted that she radiate that area. what I realized was that a good part of my underarm was radiated just because they radiated along the whole mast incision and that went well into my underarm.

I will be a 2 year survivor next month and hopefully still doing well. (I had a pet scan yesterday, so hoping for good results!)

Laurie
diag 3/24/05 at age 37
4.5 cm, 2+ nodes

Donna -

I too had one positive node but did not have radiation. It seems that radiation is the case if one has 3 or more (in some cases 2 or more + nodes).
Both my oncologists (I keep two just in case I don't like what I hear from one or the other) did not recommend the radiation for one + node. It was my left side and there are risks to radiation on the left side since the heart is there so they need to make sure the benefits outweigh the risks and in the case of only 1 node, I assume that is the case.

one node - no rads
 

Hi Donna,

I asked my radiologist why they weren't doing rads for the lymph area since the tumor they found in the sentinel node was almost as big as the primary turmor they removed from the breast. He said the size wasn't a factor, that since all other nodes removed (11) were clear, it was only in the sentinel node. He went on to say that statistically it was negligible for survival rates to treat for one node.

Both my oncologist and my radiologist are part of very large groups here and they are specifically known for conservative, painstaking detailed case reviews and treatment which is why I picked them. I am hoping I made the right choice, there is only one way to know, :-)

Best to You,

Another Donna

No Rads
 

Stage 2b, 1 large full node. No rads. I was told that rads were needed for 3 or more positive nodes.

State 2B, 1 of 9 nodes (.4 cm). Radiation of breast & axilary nodes.....Radiation is a temporary thing. Why take a chance ?


carlsoj

I just started radiation this week, had 3 pos nodes and am getting the full treatment, under arm and below the clavical area.

My opinion is that radiation to the axillary should be done--if you're getting the radiation, why not widen the field to be safe? I had 5/8+ nodes, which is a lot more, and got IMRT radiation to superclav, axillary, chest, and internal mammary areas. With such an aggressive cell, safer is better (but I'm not a doc :-)

Good luck!
Val