Auxilia nodes clearance (ANC) versus Auxilia Radiotheraphy (ARDT)

Going through breast cancer treatment Surgery
1

Good afternoon everybody  

 

I was wondering whether there are any lovely ladies who have had either ANC or ARDT?

 

I am a new member and have been diagnosed with Stage 2 - Grade 1 breast cancer

I am 49 years old

I had surgery on 14 May this year to remove the tumour in my right breast which was 1 cm and had SNB whereby they removed 2 nodes

 

The specialist surgeon confirmed that one of my nodes was clear however the other had macromatises

(3mm)

 

I obtained my results yesterday and I am very upset over my diagnosis

 

We discussed what my options were and discussed:

a) ANC - the procedure and the risks - 30% chance of getting lymphodema

b) ARDT - underarm RDT to nodes - it was confirmed to me that there is a 30% chance of the cancer cells spreading to other parts ( should it not work for me)

c) clinical trial - posnoc - ANC v adjuvent treatment   

 

My head is all over the place , there was so much to take in 

 

I got the impression that more emphasis was being given to either partaking in the clinical trial or down the radiotheraphy route 

 

The reasoning behind it was that they felt that the benefits of having raditheraphy underarm is more or less the same as to undergoing ANC ; the survival rate being more or less the same

 

I was told that the risk of contracting lmphodema was lower having ARDT compared to ANC

 

I would appreciate your thoughts on this and whether there are any ladies here who opted for the ARDT and how they are getting along with this / got along / what the chances are of reoccurrence / was there any set back / whether it spread to other areas of the body , etc , how long was treatment , etc etc

 

I have decided that I do not want to be part of a clinical trial as do not want a computer deciding the category of treatment I will receive if any

 

I am being pressed by the hospital whether I have made a decision which route I want to take however I am so confused as I do not know what is best for me. I am very worried , upset and sad that I have to make this decision 

 

I am also a member of McMillan community forum and a number of ladies I have been in contact with opted to go for surgery as they wanted peace of mind as they did not know enough on auxilia radiotheraphy or results of any existing trials. They were aware of the risks of lymphodema and to date , none have reported any major problems 

 

I understand that the risk for ARDT is lymphedema but this is lower compared to ANC 

 

I would appreciate your feedback and would be nice to chat to ladies who are either in the same position as me or been through it

 

Sending you all big hugs xx 

 

  

2

I had a mastectomy and immediate reconstruction in April. In March, I had my SNB. They took 6 nodes and found a 3.5mm piece in 1. The surgeon said that she would do just a Level one clearance, rather than a full clearance, to see if any more were affected and hopefully avoiding a full clearance and the need for radiotherapy. I was lucky and no more were involved. So just level 1 done with a lower risk of lymph oedema. I was offered radiotherapy if I wanted it, but I declined. From your Oncotype score you are given your risk factors for metastases and recurrence risk. This information can help decide. It helped me. Xxx

3

Hi Mavit,

I can’t comment on the radiotherapy option as it wasn’t available to me having had it many years ago for a previous breast cancer. I have had the ANC though as there was a lot of cancer in my nodes though thankfully it’s not spread further.

I’ve not had (touch wood) lymphodema but still have a lot of stiffness, numbness and restricted movement.

Having been there before I’d say radiotherapy is a far easier option but I don’t know what I’d plump for in your shoes.

Probably no help whatsoever but good luck with whatever you decide.

4

Hi Fairydust
Thanks for your comments
My surgeon has refused to do purely level 1 clearance - she has said it’s all or nothing … seems you are lucky on that score
Otherwise I will need radiotherapy underarm - the way they were talking because I only had one affected sentinel node, they felt highly unlikely the others would be affected thus why they seem to be pushing to go via the underarm radiotherapy route plus previous studies have shown ( according to them ) that ARDT is just as effective as ANC
They have not done oncoryoe score - is this something they should have done ?
Can you confirmed why you declined ARDT - just interested in your views
Regards x