Treatment

Hi Big purple unicorn, that's great news about the cancer having been removed.  I only needed radiotherapy and then hormone treatment after my cancer was removed (no lymph nodes involved) and the reason I was given was to catch any stray cells.  You medical team should be able to give you what % improvement against the cancer coming back the radiotherapy and chemo give you and then it's up to you to decide.

Personally I would def do the radiotherapy because my thinking was that the biopsy might have caused some of the cancer cells to have dislodged and contaminated the surrounding breast tissue.  If you think about sticking a needle into a jam doughnut when you pull the needle out some of the jam (the cancer) gets spread to the previously clear dough.

I didn't need chemo so never had to think about that but I would probably have done it just to be sure - if you medical team are suggesting it then they have their reasons so push for a better explanation.  Chemo for breast cancer seems to be very doable for people these days and seems to be not as bad as they expected it to be. for a lot of them

Wishing you all the best in whatever you decide x

Lumpectomy plus radiotherapy gives you the same outcome as full mastectomy so as GodWilling has said, I'd definitely go for that.

I had chemo ahead of my operation to shrink it but I would have taken everything they offered to improve my chances of not getting it again.

My medical team also told me they were going to throw everything at me to give me the best long term outcome.

There is a predict tool you can use to show how treatment helps in terms of percentages.

Predict Breast

Hi Lorna, please take any treatment offered to you, the NHS would not spend the money on your treatment if they did not think it was necessary, you might kick yourself if you didn't and then your cancer came back.  Love Ann

Hi Ann. Thank you. I have spoken to my nurse and she has explained it all in depth. Feel much better about chemotherapy now. X

Thank you.