Radiotherapy after surgery

Hi briars and welcome to the group.

I’m sorry to read what you’ve already been through, and can understand that you want to make an informed decision on any further treatment. 

I had a different cancer, but have had many sessions of external radiotherapy. I think the important thing you’ve said in your post is that your surgeon didn’t get clear margins. The aim of surgery is to remove the cancer with a clear margin of healthy tissue around it, and when that hasn’t happened, it’s possible that cancer cells will have remained which could grow again, hence the offer of radiotherapy.

You are looking for the pros and cons, so I’ll give you some from my own experience. Radiotherapy is a quick treatment, with each session being very short. It is painless, as you simply lie there while the machine moves over the area to be treated-it doesn’t come in contact with your body. It can have very good results in destroying any remaining cancer cells. For me, the main issue was tiredness…although my radiotherapy was for a different cancer in a different location. Others sail through the treatment with no issues-we’re all different. 

I appreciate that you are older than me (I’m 63) but I think potential fear about radiotherapy is very different from the reality and in your position it would not have been suggested if your doctors didn’t think it would be beneficial and you could cope with it. It’s always your decision of course, so you can refuse the treatment and be monitored, but I’d ask your doctors what would happen if the cancer grew in the same area again, especially since your cancer was on your face and near your eye. 

Best wishes with making your decision and I hope you’ll receive some further replies from others who have had this treatment in the facial area.

Sarah xx

Sarah, thank you so much for your reply ,very very helpful , I spending some time today on this but battery’s  low at the moment so may I get back to you ?gill

Thank you Sarah21,

for your reply , I have been in touch with my surgeons secretary , who has summited all my questions to the Doctors,and requested a first available appointment so will see what he says , thanks for all your info

gill

Morning Gill

I hope you can get some answers that will help make your decision. You will want to be clear in your own mind that you know all the ins and outs of radiotherapy so I hope you’ll hear back soon.

Sarah xx

Thank you Sarah ,finding it a mine field , but at least feel IVE done all I can at the moment for the cancer, now naturally ? worring what the arm could be.

not being a tec person also trying to find my way round hear and to re do my profile this week end ,

I seem to be posting all over the place

miserable day here so good to have something to do.everyone so helpful on here , and so many worse off than me ,bless you all.

have a good week end everyone

Gill R

Hi Sarah ,

well another sleepless night.

ive dicoovered a little information after eventually getting the consultants letter , no actual fact about size of cancer just offering me radiotherapy ( at mount vernon) which I couldnot get to or for them to go in again ,how ever if they only managed a margin of 0.5 first time , presumably due to closeness to eye ,how could they do better second time round !

I have to admit I said no to further treatment as I’ve had enough ,85 and quality of life comes into it , but thought I should look into it and then make an informed decision, at the moment it’s ruling my life.like a lot of people’s.

reading the posts on here makes me feel very humbled, as so many of you kind folk have so much worse to manage .

yes sorry rambling on again , it’s lovely to read all you’re news of what you’ve been up to , I’ve been a bit of a recluse recently , lovely high light of my day ATP tennis finals.

ill say good night and thank you all

Hi briars 

I'm sorry you’ve had another sleepless night-it’s exhausting not being able to sleep properly.

I think we all make very individual decisions on whether to go ahead with a particular treatment or surgery based on our own situations and circumstances, and that’s fine. We need to weigh up how we feel about it, and make our own decisions. 

Your margin was very small, and because of the location, I can appreciate you’d be worried about getting a better margin the next time. I got very good margins in my case- 4.5cm- but of course my cancer was inside my pelvis so my surgeon was able to take a lot away. 

You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to do-it’s always your choice-and that needs to be respected by everyone concerned. You’ve been through a lot already in terms of having had cancer before, and if you feel you’ve had enough now then it’s ok to say no to anything else and just get on with your life. 

When you make your decision, you know you’ve done what you can to find out more information and quality of life is very important to you. Hopefully making your decision will mean you can put it to one side and not have this worry ruling your life any more. Maybe you’ll be able to sleep more soundly. 

Maybe you could get an appointment with the consultant to chat face to face and see how you feel after that? But don’t let anyone feel that this is their decision to make-it’s always yours, and I wish you well with whatever you choose.

Sarah xx

Thank you Sarah ,I have spoken to the secretary and asked for an other face to face with the consultant, so fingers crossed I’ll hear something this week.

thanks for your help.

Gill