I’ve had a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction for lobular breast cancer. My nodes were clear but tumour is 53mm so a 3 on staging. I don’t want radiotherapy as margins were good at 10mm all round. Please how can I get the team to listen to me without causing any problems with my care going forwards?
Welcome to the forum . This is the ask the nurses section of the forum ,hopefully the nurses will get back to you tomorrow . If you’d like to chat to people who’ve been through similar maybe you could also post in the radiotherapy section of the forum ?
Thanks. It’s more how to handle the team rather than experience of radiotherapy.
Hello Tincancat
Thank you for your post asking about how best to communicate with your treatment team that you don’t want to have radiotherapy following breast surgery.
Radiotherapy uses high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells. It can be given after breast surgery to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left in the breast and surrounding area. This is to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back in that area (local recurrence). You may hear this called adjuvant radiotherapy.
I’m unsure if you have already had a conversation with your treatment team about radiotherapy treatment but it can help for them to understand your reasons for choosing not to have radiotherapy. Having a discussion with your treatment team gives you a chance to ask questions, weigh up the benefits and risks and make a fully informed decision. Your breast care nurse can help arrange this for you.
Your treatment team may encourage you to have radiotherapy to reduce the risk of local recurrence. However, if they know you have all the information to make a decision about treatment, they can record this and your decision in your medical notes. You can also discuss any follow-up care with your treatment team.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.
For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call our free Helpline
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Best wishes
Teresa
Breast Care Nurse
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