Should a 76 yr. old woman diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer decide to not go with radiation after surgery?

Question

Due to age, possible damage of skin and/or internal organs wanting to maintain quality of life. Is this a common choice of older cancer patients?

Answer 1

It would depend on what other health issues she has? I wouldn't. I would get in there and remove the mass, try to get clear margins and maybe implant a radiation capsule on the area. It would be localized to the effected are of the breast and not through her whole body.

Answer 2

Radiation has came a long way. Now they are able to give it where it only treats the area that it needs to. It shouldn't affect any other area. As far as quality of life, radiation affects different people different ways. Some it may burn, others may notice hardly any change. She should ask her radiation oncologist first of all if he/she thinks that internal organs would be affected and secondly, if she started to burn and couldn't stand it then she could always stop. In my case, I had chemo and the radiation was to kill any cells that chemo "may" had missed. I was 2B breast cancer. There weren't any internal organs in the way of where I was getting the rads, just where the lump was at in the breast and the lymph nodes.

Answer 3

It's not the matter of norm. The patient should make an informed-decision. As long as the patient has been told of the risk of non-compliance of post surgery therapy. My 35-year-old sis-in-law refused radiotherapy after surgery. it's her choice.

Answer 4

Check
www.breastcancer.org

to see the benefits of radiation. They have proven it extends life.

Personally, I thought chemo was way worse than radiation, but I am younger.

I have two elderly aunts who had radiation and are living their lives
to the fullest now...

Answer 5

I had a big tumor - nospread. I chose not to do radiation. this is just my choice get more information