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Hopeful · 01-03-2007, 08:34 PM

Maria,

Yes, I had radiation on the left side. When I was interviewing radiation oncologists, I had one astute doctor that pointed out to me I shouldn't be concerned about the cumulative cardiotoxicity of Herceptin and radiation, as the Herceptin would weaken the muscle while the radiation would affect the blood vessels. It took me three appointments to find a facility that could assure me they could keep my heart out of the radiation field.

Just by luck, I was able to talk to my internal medicine doctor this afternoon. He is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine, so, while not a cancer specialist, he is treating a lot of patients that have cancer and extensive comorbidities. I told him to expect the Muga results and asked his opinion on the LVEF decrease. He said he thought the baseline reading of 74 was more suspect than the follow-up scores (the tech who performed the test this morning agreed with that - she told me they don't pay particular attention to the baseline Muga's, because they expect everyone to be within normal range.) He told me that my latest score of 60 was in the high normal range for a person my age (53). He said I shouldn't worry about it. I have a lot of confidence in this doctor, and he made me feel a lot better. He is also the doctor who referred me to my onc.

Thanks for your support, I appreciate it.

Hopeful

01-03-2007, 08:34 PM	#14
Hopeful Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 3,380	Maria, Yes, I had radiation on the left side. When I was interviewing radiation oncologists, I had one astute doctor that pointed out to me I shouldn't be concerned about the cumulative cardiotoxicity of Herceptin and radiation, as the Herceptin would weaken the muscle while the radiation would affect the blood vessels. It took me three appointments to find a facility that could assure me they could keep my heart out of the radiation field. Just by luck, I was able to talk to my internal medicine doctor this afternoon. He is board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine, so, while not a cancer specialist, he is treating a lot of patients that have cancer and extensive comorbidities. I told him to expect the Muga results and asked his opinion on the LVEF decrease. He said he thought the baseline reading of 74 was more suspect than the follow-up scores (the tech who performed the test this morning agreed with that - she told me they don't pay particular attention to the baseline Muga's, because they expect everyone to be within normal range.) He told me that my latest score of 60 was in the high normal range for a person my age (53). He said I shouldn't worry about it. I have a lot of confidence in this doctor, and he made me feel a lot better. He is also the doctor who referred me to my onc. Thanks for your support, I appreciate it. Hopeful