Hi
I’m new here. I have a diagnosis of stage 2 breast cancer and one of my 2 sentinel lymph nodes had some cancer in. Have had lumpectomy and 2 sentinel lymph nodes removed . Nearly at end of chemotherapy.
The problem is my breast surgeon wants to treat the remaining lymph nodes with radiotherapy - not a clearance. My consultant oncologist said for belt and braces go with a clearance and take the increased risk of lymphoedema ( surgeon says 15 risk of that with radio and 30 percent with surgery)
Some research from 2018 suggests radio as good as a clearance re recurrence but my oncologist has some doubts about that research which she didn’t go into in detail but believe it’s about the methodology .
seeing surgeon again tomorrow who has said she will do a clearance if I insist .
Am at a loss to know which to choose - radio or clearance . Can any one help?!
(Am 50 years old )
thanks! In confusion
Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community
Trying to make treatment decisions is very hard. As none of us are medics we won't be able to advise you which to choose, only you can decide with the guidance of your consultants, but hearing about other people's experiences can be invaluable.
Could I suggest you join the breast cancer group and post your question there as the members have a vast wealth of experiences to share.
To join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'join this group' on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post your question after selecting 'start a discussion' and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
When you have a minute it would be really useful if could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Edit Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
All the best with whichever treatment route you decide on.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
