Hi, hope you all are doing well. Basically, before the CT scan results, my mum was referred to medical oncology clinic to discuss her treatment plan.
On that day, they were still waiting for HER2 results so appointment had to be rescheduled. However the good news is that my mums CT scan was all clear. I believe the CT Scan results came on the same day (went on Friday) when I went to see the medical oncologist.
I know MDT meeting is every Wednesday and Friday at 12:45. On Saturday got electronic message with the new appointment saying an appointment is arranged to see the clinical oncology clinic.
I know medical only does systemic treatment whereas clinical does both systemic and radiotherapy.
My mum has a 6cm lump with 6 lymph nodes affected in axillary node area (armpit). CT scan all clear. So no spread anywhere else.
Surgeon said my mum will have neoadjuvent therapy before surgery. Can MDT change treatment plan and do you get option to have radiotherapy instead chemo if the cancer hasnt spread anywhere else.
I have read few resources (NHS and Cancer Research) saying radiotherapy is also used before surgery as neoadjuvent
I had 4 positive nodes and no obvious signs of metastatic disease and had chemo. I think CT can only pick up established metastases, but with node involvement there is still a chance that cancer cells have travelled elsewhere in the body via the lymphatic system. Chemo might also be recommended to shrink a tumour before surgery. Radiotherapy is intended to prevent local reoccurrence, so not an alternative to chemo.
Hello, I think with 6 lymph nodes involved an offer of chemo is inevitable, as that is classed as spread outside the breast. My Mum had 7 nodes involved and had chemo, then radiotherapy. Best wishes to your Mum.
I’ve heard of radiotherapy as a use to shrink inoperable tumours if other health conditions make alternatives high risk. However, with any lymph node involvement other than micrometastes, it would be usually recommended to have chemo, with 6, it’s pretty certain barring other health exclusions, such as frailty. It could depend on your mother’s health what options are taken. Best you can do is wait for your team to explain, jumping the gun in seach for preemptive answers from others can make anxiety worse ( though we all do it). Deep breath, carry on, until you know more from the experts dealing with it, you can’t do anything about it, or change it until you know all the individual details.
Thank you @entropy@edp@flower5 yes I wait what treatment is going to be for my mum. She has type 2 diabetes. Let’s see. Just worried the effect it will have on her especially having type 2 diabetes
My Mum was boardline type 2, plus Chronic Kidney Disease stage 3, plus other health issues. She coped well. She was 80 at diagnosis, now heading for 84 ! She managed much better than I thought. Hope all goes smoothly for your Mum.
