My grandmother is 80 years of age and was diagnosed with breast cancer about a month ago. she had surgery in which they removed the cancer from her breast. she is trying to decide whether the treatment of radiation by means of having an implant in her breast that releases radiation, or not even receiving the treatment of radiation at all. any ideas? (her health condition is as fallows- had a stroke 2 months ago, still working on walking w/o a walker, and she has trouble standing for certain periods of time. she has recovered well from the stroke, but is still in a bad condition.
Cancer - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
she needs to talk to her DR'S...not strangers on YA who don't know her and her medical history... don't put family members info on the web..it's not your business to be doing that.
2 :
This is a highly personal decision that can only be made by the individual after being told the full risks and likely prognoses of each option by their treating oncologist. Having been through surgery, chemo and radiation for breast cancer, I doubt that I would consider more than the surgery alone at her age, but that is just my personal viewpoint, not a recommendation.
3 :
One shot of radiotherapy could save breast cancer patients weeks of tiring treatment http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1284647/One-shot-radiotherapy-save-breast-cancer-patients-weeks-tiring-treatment.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
4 :
It depends on a lot of things, sometimes chemo and radiation are recommended, other times only surgery is needed. It depends on the type of breast cancer, the stage and the age of the patient and prior medical history. There is an excellent book called Dr. Love's Breast Book that goes into a lot of detail on breast health and current treatment options. It probably will give you more info than you will ever need to know but you can just read the chapters on your grandmother's condition to get a better idea of current treatment options.
5 :
External Radiation is best. There are hardly any side effects if a bit of redness to the breast after about 4 weeks of treatment. Some also may get tired from time to time. It is a 6 week course of treatment and it goes by very fast. I had inquired about internal radiation as well, and she said that I was too young for it. I am not sure what the cut-off age is as far as being too old for it. Internal radation is more of a nuisance than anything. Also you need to do that type of radiation Twice a Day, instead of once a day like traditional radiation. It really isn't worth it. Tell her to ask her doctor about External Radiation treatments. All she has to do is lie on a table for a total of 2 minutes. Piece of cake.
6 :
Radiation was the toughest of treatments for my wife and she at the time of treatment was 52 years old. Radiation kills the tumor at the site where cancer was discovered, it is sort of insurance that it will destroy whatever cells would be left at the site. Chemotherapy destroys the cells that might have escaped to other parts of the body, surgery removes the tumor itself and radiation is applied to the site to destroy remaining cells. Treatment is usually over a specific amount of time that is on a daily basis, and it was very painful for us. Not everyone responds to radiation the same way. I have heard from others that it was a walk in the park. For us it was hell. It could be physically too much for her, the only person to know for sure is her radiation oncologist and regular doctor. A friend of mine had breast cancer at 65 years old and did not have it again for ten years. At 75 years old she decided to not have treatment because she did not want to suffer through it all again. Each person needs to evaluate if the costs are worth the price of the goods received. I know what radiation did to my wife but she is considerably younger than your grandma. The treatment for her could be the straw that breaks her back. The doctor's need to give an evaluation to decide if it is something she can handle.
