radiotherapy to the posterior fossa

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Hi all , I’m seeking some advice.
Has anyone had second course of radiotherapy? This would be on the posterior fossa.
My wife has DMG and had SOC chemo / radiotherapy at the beginning 18 months ago but now has new tumours growing in the posterior fossa as well as the original area. Our oncologist has said there is only 2 options - Temozolomide , or a 15 day course of radiotherapy targeting just the new area. These tumours are dotted around the posterior fossa so I gather the radiotherapy will affect this whole part of her brain. We need to make a decision today but we’re struggling making it. We were told previously that Temozolomide may not be that effective as the tumour is Unmethylated.
The oncologist has said radiotherapy could her symptoms which are dizziness and being unsteady on her feet sometimes worse to start with. If i knew these were temporary it would make the decision easier but no one seems prepared to say so was hoping someone who has experienced it could tell us.

Has anyone had similar situation ?
Had radiotherapy on the posterior fossa?
What were the symptoms.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Joanne H - Macmillan 11 days ago

Hi Darryl2607

Thank you for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Joanne and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

I can see that you’ve joined our New to the Community Forum and I hope that you will find it a useful source of information and support.

I can see from your post that you may already have spoken to your team about your wife’s Cancer treatment options for her DMG brain tumour.

I’m sorry that we may have been unable to respond to your query until today but I hope the following information will still be useful for you both.

If you have any further questions which need a more rapid response, please do give us a call on the support line or through our webchat service and one of our nurses will be able to respond straight away.

It can be very difficult to weigh up all of the information you need when you are Making treatment decisions between starting Temozolomide or undergoing further Radiotherapy.

For some people the Side effects of radiotherapy can include a worsening of symptoms due to inflammation and some swelling of the brain. For some people, these side effects can persist for around 6-12 weeks but may last for longer and in some cases can persist long after treatment is completed.

It can be difficult for your team to give you specific information about the severity or duration of side effects that your wife may experience so it may be useful for you to chat to other people through our Brain Cancer Forum and any of the Brain tumour charity support services.

You may also find it useful to have a look at our information on questions to ask your healthcare team which may help you prepare for your next consultation with your team if you and your wife are still uncertain about the best option for her.

I hope this information is useful – please do get back in touch if there is anything else that we can support you with.

Ref JH/DS

Joanne H - Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.

Darryl2607 11 days ago in reply to Joanne H - Macmillan

Hi Joanne

Thanks for the information. We have spoken our oncology team again and made the decision to go ahead with the radiotherapy. I was panicking about making the wrong decision. Think I wanted someone to make it for us.

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radiotherapy to the posterior fossa