Hello
l just wondered if anyone else had been offered the following trial participation and if so, what their thoughts were.
“Clinical trial testing a 1 week course of curative breast radiotherapy against a standard 3-week schedule in early breast cancer”?
Thanks in advance
Lozza
Bump to get you in latest posts
Hi Lozza.
I have been told about this 1 week radiotherapy same amount of therapy only a more intense course of it… I am told I might be asked to participate in it. If I get the chance to go for it I will be for several reasons.
- You will be very closely monitored.
- I don’t drive and it will take me an hour and half to get to the hospital, and then back home another hour and half.
When I mentioned this to the nurse she said they might consider you for the 1 week treatment.
I will just have to wait till after my op next week (6th Feb)
Sandra
xx
hi ive just finished the fast forward trial at the end of november and have been absolutly fine i read on a post somewhere just to use cream if needed and got through my full treatment without using any cream my breast just looks as if it has a suntan i washed with sanex zero shower gel and used sanex zero deoderant there’s no metals or parabens in them also i was told that i was given a higher dose during the trial so it was realy like getting 15 rads over 5 days then i had 5 days of boost to the tumor area i personally would highly recommend it 10 days was brill compared with 4-5 wks good luck but whatever you decide xxx
Hi
I have been told about the trial and have asked to go on it, I also live an hour and a half away from the hospital as my local one doesn’t do it. I was told it is a random selection but I have a 50/50 chance of going on it. My op is at the end of March, not sure how long I will have to wait to find out if I will get on the trial.
Hope you get on it aswel Sandra.
xx
Hiya Lozza,
I am sorry that you still have choices to make about rads, it is never easy. Why can’t they make the decisions for us ? But it is our bodies and we need to decide ourselves by checking what others think and making an informed choice.
I was offered the Supremo trial after my mx. I had already had Chemo FEC T and I was a border line case for needing Rads as well. I did much research online and finally made my decision not to do the trial or have any Radiotherapy at all. I found that the % chance of reoccurence was not enhanced much by rads. I thought it was just a belt and braces exercise, but other fiends on the Chemo suite had the rads because they wanted to throw everything at the cancer they could.
I have heard about ladies having the rads over a shorter period of time and I think that is what I would do as I also live 10 miles from my hospital. I would be asking what difference it would make to my skin, increased redness , any damage to ribs etc .
Hope you can come to a decision that you are happy with. It was good news on the results front and no spread so no more operations. Good. I also had a large tumur Lozza it was 4 to 5 cm and as I am only small breasted that is why I needed the mx.
Let us know what you decide we will be thinking of you Lozza. Love Trace x
Thank you ladies for your responses
Kerij - did you get a bone scan or MRI before you started rads? So you have a baseline for comparison should it be needed.
For those that don’t know the trial is basically to see if rads can be done in a week I.e 5 sessions rather than 3 weeks (15 sessions). Randomly selected by computer I could be in one of the following:
A) the normal 3wk 15 sessions (NICE guidelines) usual rads strength
B) 1wk 5 sessions at higher dosage
C) 1 wk 5 sessions at lower dosage
Am finding it hard because my tumour was 21mm therefore was borderline for chemo. And of course you’d need to sign a disclaimer etc …
Tracy - yes you’re right about the choices thing being hard - especially at a time when I am incapable of filling in the back of a prescription form without help lol!
Thanks everyone … will continue to mull over!!
Lozza xxx
hi no i never got any scans but they took a xray before each rads dont no if this is normal but xxx
Hi Lozza
I too was offered the FAST Forward Trial. I turned it down purely because I did not want to take the risk of being in the reduced 5 day dose group. I was paranoid that if my cancer returned I would blame it on not having the usual maximum dose of radiotherapy. I had the standard 15 followed by 5 booster shots to old tumour site. I live 25 miles from the hospital but still managed to drive there and back myself each day. I also felt that I did not want all that follow up afterwards. Just want to get my life back on track with as least amount of hospital appointments as possible!
You will know in your heart if it is for you.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
mandyj.x
Sorry just realised I was logged in under my husbands profile!
Hello ladies
Thank you ALL so much for your responses … it has really helped.
Mandyj - loved that your husband’s ‘handle’ is Rock - they are though aren’t they 
I agree that the thought of being in the lower dose group is (for me) quite frightening cos I know that I would find it REALLY hard if the cancer came back… so I guess I have my answer.
Dzyre - Good luck for your op - hope it goes well.
Kerij - Glad it went well AND that you had the higher dose. I have bought Sanex Zero deoderant too. My onc recommended the Simple range but when I checked ingredients in deoderant stick it had metals in it!
Pascal 48 - Good luck in what you decide. Not sure if you’ve read up on it at all but the link is below:
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/trials/search-results/%20?SearchQuery=and(crtype%3Astring(“157%2320%23Breast%20cancer”))and(content%3Astring(“Radiotherapy%20”%2Cmode%3D"simpleall"))and(crdtype%3Astring(“ClinicalTrial”))and(crtrialstatus%3Astring(“Open”))&AdvancedSearchFormType=research\_and\_trials\_adv\_search\_form&OffsetValue=10
Tracy - Thanks as always for your support and interest. It is so difficult to know … and I find my emotions are still all over the place, not helped by knowing I should sort through and remove those clothes I won’t be able to wear anymore 
perhaps I need a new image! lol! Onwards and upwards
Sorry - gremlins at it again!!!
So onwards and upwards - hugs and positive vibes to you all
Lozza xxx
I have been offered the trial but am a bit confused as to the dosage you will get if they choose you for the lower dose, is the lower dose definitely less overall than if you had 15 treaments.
I was going to go for the trial but am not sure now, I was told that they were’t sure exactly what the dosage would be but it would be about the same as 15 treatments, but I don’t know if I want to take the chance of it being too low and the cancer coming back. Anyone else got any information on this.
I have been offered the trial for radiotherapy. I am now a bit confused as I though even the lower dosage was the same as the 15 treatments. Does anyone else have any information on this.
Not sure now if I am going to take the risk that it is a lower dose than I need.
Thanks
Hi Wazette
i chose NOT to take part in the trial for that very reason. Hopefully you were given an information sheet on it and I’ve put a link to it which should hopefully still work in my earlier postings in this email thread.
I am currently doing rads - currently had 4/15 so far and am not in the trial at all.
I think if I’d have had chemo I probably would have taken part. As it is a randomised trial you cannot choose which group you want to go in.
In the end only you can make that decision.
Good luck
Lozza x
Ey up Lozza me Duck. how are you doing ? I have been on the real ale tonight but I am still trying to keep in touch with the girls that I know need support. Glad u r in control and on the last few sessions of rads. Just take good care my friend . Love Tracy xxx
Hi Lozza
Thanks for your reply. I did have the information sheet which when I ready it realised that there were two different doses for the 5 days trial. Thanks I did use your link as well which still works. I thinks I am not going to go with this trial now as I cannot take the chance of having the lower dose as I think it would be constantly on my mind that you do not really know which one you have had. Going for my scan on monday then hopefully should know when I start the treatment. Hope all goes well with yours. Keep us posted as to how your are feeling through your treatment as this could help us all.
Thanks
Wazette xx
I was offered participation in this trial and turned it down. I couldn’t see any benefit to me as a patient. If you add up the days you will have to go to the hospital for follow up in the years to come then it seems like you are only deferring your visits rather than reducing them. I can see that if you live a long long way from the hospital then there would be a benefit. But I think that the main driver for this trial is to reduce costs for the NHS. I’m all for that in theory but I don’t want to be the guinea pig that tests it for them.