Asking for my mother, 65, diagnosed with invasive carcinoma at left breast. MRM+AC was done on 1st Nov, 2022. Lymph node metastasis 6/29 on post surgery biopsy. PET CT shows no distant mets. Underwent 6 cycles of adjuvant chemo (paclitaxel, Carboplatin) starting from 3rd Dec and finishing on 20th March.
Now she is to undergo adjuvant radiation therapy. My question is how long can a patient wait after chemo/surgery to start RT? I've visited 3 different doctors, they say usually they start within 3 to 4 weeks, but patient can wait up to 6 weeks max. Is there any optimum time to start RT? There are not many good centres where we live, and the one we would like to get the RT done from is having to wait us till first week of May, which will be 7 wks from her chemo and exceeding the 6 wks timeline said by doctors. Hence my anxiety.
Would like to hear your opinions on the subject
Hi ithehappy and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your mum.
A cancer journey like this in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges can help a lot.
I have had a lot of radiotherapy over my years for my blood cancer and following my chemotherapy I was told it would be between 4-6 weeks but in the end it was just over 4 weeks before I was in a position for the radiotherapy to go ahead but there may well be differences across cancer types, chemos and indeed surgery (I had no surgery)
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms). Do have a look through THIS LIST where you will find all our many dedicated cancer support groups listed.
These groups are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same journey.
When it comes to the practical and emotional challenges of supporting family and friends you may also benefit from joining our Carers only support group where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
When you want to connect in with a group fund the groups using the links above then to join a group click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
You can then put up your own post when you’re ready by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post. You can also scroll through other members posts and click “Reply” to get involved.
Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat where you will find one of team there to help you out. We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Do get back to me if you need further help.
