Breast Cancer Therapy

Question: What are the chances of pregnancy after radiation therapy on breast cancer? She's only 21 years old, and found a lump on her breast this week. She's been examined and having surgery today to remove the lump. She told me that she'll be having radiation therapy afterward. But she wants to have children in the future. Will she be able to become pregnant after radiation therapy?

Answer: Radiation to the breast does not effect a woman's chances of pregnancy. However, it can damage a woman's ability to produce milk in the radiated breast. She should talk to her radiation oncologist about this.

Question: Info from anyone who had radiation therapy for breast cancer? My mom's just getting done with her chemotherapy for breast cancer and she wants to know how other people did with radiation therapy. We've been looking up info on the web, but she wants personal stories of how other people did. What did you do to get through therapy? What made therapy easier to deal with? What kind of side effects did you have?Anything at all you can think of to make therapy easier on her? She's 67. Thanks in advance.

Answer: I had seven weeks of radiation and for me the biggest side effects were fatigue (probably from going every day), a slight burn which was alleviated from the great gel they gave me, and headaches. I was told that the headaches were probably caused by stress (although I didn't feel stressed) and/or the fatigue. The radiation sessions themselves lasted only two minutes each time - although it took longer for them to set me up in the radiation field...so a total of five minutes for set up and radiation. Perhaps if I hadn't lived one hour away from the hosptial it would have been easier to deal with. In order to make it easier on her, she should get plenty of rest during these weeks and directly afterwards. Also, she should drink a lot of water to flush her kidneys. Not much else to do, other than try to get back to a normal life. She will see that it becomes simply a daily part of life, but will seem odd afterwards when all the therapy is done - I had a hard time getting back into the groove of "real life" because I had gone through so many doctor appointments, surgeries, chemo, and then rads at the end. Wishing your mother well and tell her that this is a walk in the park compared to any of the other therapies (chemo, hormonal).

Question: Breast Cancer Trials: How have they changed breast cancer therapy?

Answer: There are better testing methods to diagnose breast cancer at an earlier stage. The biopsy can be done in the office without an incision to determine what stage and type of cancer before surgery. The surgery is less scarring and recovery is quicker. The new types of radiation are less severe. One new type of radiation is called Mammosite and cuts the radiation time down to five days of treatment twice each day. There are also tests to determine if the cancer is estrogen positive and hormone therapy to block the estrogen in the woman.

Question: what is the best diet to follow after radiation therapy for breast cancer? I am especially interested in diets that can rebuild the female endocrine system.

Answer: The American Cancer Society has an excellent website on nutrition/diet after treatment. I recommend that.

Question: Would you be able to drive yourself home after radiation therapy or chemo therapy for breast cancer? I hate the idea of being driven to the therapy sessions.

Answer: Yes, you would likely be able to do it and many women even work afterward. Some cannot but you will know how you are affected by treatment relatively early. On the other hand, consider allowing friends/family to drive you. This is a terrifying thing for THEM too, and being able to participate in this small way can help them cope. It is a little gift that YOU can give THEM.

Question: What happens if you have breast cancer, and you decide not to have therapy? i know its quite a sensative topic and all, but i was just wondering, if you get breast cancer and decide to not have therapy, and deside to die from it, do you lose your hair? do you have pains? do you get tired or stressed out? does your eating stop? i'm just curious. i hope no-one takes this the wrong way.

Answer: Why would you not want to get therapy if you got breast cancer,I mean does life mean that little to you.If I had a choice of either dieing or taking radiation therapy or even having one or both breasts removed,I think I'd choose life.About seventeen years ago my mother had breast cancer,she had to have one breast removed and all the lymph nodes taken out under her arm and she went through the therapy.She is ,happy to say cancer free for 17 years now and proof that breast cancer can be beaten if you take the therapy and fight it with everything you have.I'm sure that if you decide not to take therapy there will eventually be pain that gets worse as time progresses getting to the point you probably couldn't stand it.The cancer would eventually spread to other parts of your body eating you up from the inside out weakening you to the point you can't go on living.I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy so why would even think of something like this.

Question: How tired did you get after radiation therapy for breast cancer?

Answer: See more about side effects and fatigue on www.after-cancer.com Verite R

Question: What is a less toxic alternative to Chemo therapy for breast cancer treatment in a woman?

Answer: To be honest, chemotherapy is not a cancer treatment. Here is the situation. Chemo can take care of the problem right away, but the doctor always says that, some can live an extended 2 years, or 3 years. And some die right away from the chemicals. This is with late stages of cancer. Now, for early stages, it helps the problem but your health is deteriorated. They say that chemo affects the cancer and your normal body cells. How many people you know, who have had late stages of cancer, and lived through it pass 5 yours with chemo therapy? I bet you that you have never even heard of it. Even if someone has, how many people is that compared to that masses? The problem with other medicines is that the pharmaceautical companies cannot control that product. What if it was tree bark say for instance. How many people do you know will buy the pills if they can just walk up to any tree and bite a piece off to save themselves? See? So, USA doctors are familiar with these remedies, but they do not talk about it. Try asking your doctor about green algae, or cesium chloride, or paw paw, etc etc. Then they start to talk. Otherwise, they wont say a word. And if you dont know, how can you ask? So, the doctors lips are sealed tight. The individual doctors on the other hand are sometimes scared to talk about it. It is because, if they open their mouths, they would be facing the whole medical community. Alot of them go into the medical field to help people, and some go in it for money. But, the top ranking ones in control are all in it for money. If not, they would have never gotten their position. I do not suggest you go with chemo therapy. You can look up some alternative medicine to cancer and they are all over the place on the net. The best ranked one is cesium chloride, paw paw, and along with others. Some health websites even have a place where you can go and tell them your stage of cancer and which type of cancer, and they will sell you a package based on your individual problem. There are also some doctors scattered all over the USA who specialize in cancer. You never hear about them right? Well, they wont be bothered by the medical community if they do a small operation without much advertising. But, they all report about 90% survival rates on cancers that regular cancer doctors give up on. And if that doctor didnt give up, do you expect to live anyways? No. I speak out to you because I dont want you to die like the two of my friends who have already died. Certain doctors even said that they could cure it with 80% survival rate. But, I didnt have the money to help them. So, I am speaking out in hopes that nothing happens to you and you survive. Regardless of your stage of cancer. Cesium chloride is what works best. Look it up, its everywhere. Even oxygen drops help. You can use them both at the same time. The thing is with these alternatives is that, some of them make you feel extremely bad at the beginning, but after a while you get used to it, and then you are gone with the cancer before you know it. So dont feel discouraged. Oxygen drops keep cancer from growing because your body can live with more oxygen. As a matter of fact, it helps circulate your blood. Cancer cannot live at the sight of oxygen. It has been said that not enough oxygen is what causes cancer. I dont know what the cause is, because there are many causes. But, cesium chloride and oxygen drops will take care of it. And one more thing, some of these remedies cannot be sold as a cancer treatment. So, they are sold as vitamins. But, in their website, they are allowed to say what it cures. But, their labels cannot say a word about cancer. So, you should start in the vitamin section of the internet. Good luck my friend.

Question: Is hormore replacement therapy after breast cancer considered pallative treatment?

Answer: HRT increases your risk for breast cancer it doesn’t treat it. Any treatment given to relieve symptoms or for pain management is palliative.

Question: Is this the correct protocol for radiation therapy for breast cancer? I am asking this question on behalf of my mother, who had a lumpectomy on September 23, 2008 to remove a 1.2 cm mass from her left breast. She went in about a week ago to get markings on her body in preparation for the radiation therapy. Some of the markings washed off when she showered, so she called the technician, who told her to redraw or retrace the markings as best she could with a pen marker. In addition, the appointment to get the initial markings lasted only about 15 minutes, which seemed like a very short time period to take measurements and calculations. This whole process appeared very unprofessional and imprecise. Obviously, radiation therapy needs to be precise so as not cause harm to normal cells as much as possible. My mother's doctor is on vacation and won't be back for a few days so we could not ask him, but we were wondering if this is something that should be of concern. What was your personal experience with breast cancer radiation therapy? Was it any different? Thanks for your input and advice.

Answer: If you feel uncomfortable about this, wait the few days until her regular doc gets back. But understand that she is now in the hands not of her regular doc, nor the surgeon, but of the radiologist. So, in your place, I'd direct my concerns to the radiology department of the hospital in which she is going to be treated. Remember as well that no radiation is done until the initial incisions are healed.

Question: How long does a person have to go for Chemo therapy if they have breast cancer? What are the procedures?

Answer: I had a aggressive form but I caught it early I had a lumpectomy to see if it was malignant or not (it was) then I had op. to remove surrounding tissue & lymph glands to see if it had gone in there (it hadn't) after a mth I commenced chemo every 3 wks for 6 mths after 2 mths break I had radio therapy mom-fri for 6 wks I then had tamoxifen for 5 years with check ups & mammograms (still on going )for 10 years it wasn't very pleasant any of it but I have survived this long(9 yrs)procedure for chemo:arrive at hospital at appoiment time wait oncolologist talks about the chemo you are going to have (it will be a combination of a number of chemicals)then you're weighed talk about

Question: is it necessary to finish 30 sessions of radiation therapy ater 6 chemo therapy for Breast cancer Stage 2b ?

Answer: This is of utmost importance that you should complete the therapy and alse according to the ER/PR status your requirement of hormonal therapy be considered. Incomplete therapy is associated with higher and earlier chances of relapses.

Question: I just heard on the radio that female hormone therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer? Why hasn't this come out before? My mother died from breast cancer 11 years ago. I did my research at that time & refused using this. Doctors were still pushing it at that time. Are the drug companies THAT powerful?

Answer: Absolutely. This basic gist is: Estrogen causes cells to grow rapidly, and never mature. This is how cancers grow quickly. Progesterone, on the other hand, causes cells to mature and die off. If you balance estrogen with progesterone, you are protecting yourself from female cancers. It has been known since synthetic HRT was introduced that it harmed women. There is NO evidence that estrogen supplementation is beneficial. Makes you sick thinking about what Big Pharma has done to us, doesn't it??? (There's a book you should check out from your local library called "The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women".)

Question: How does radiation therapy for breast cancer affect the patient? My mother says she is going through it.? I don't believe her, long story, she has faked illnesses before. my boyfriends mother had cancer all throughout her body, including her brain. I was there when they removed the brain tumors, but as we live in different states, I did not get to see her when she went through radiation and then chemo. I know the radiation made her feel like crap, and I think she was tired. The chemo was not so hard on her, although like most others she lost all of her hair on her body. Does Radiation cause the hair to fall out? How is the radiation done? My mom claims to have breast cancer, and says she is going through radiation. I know I sound like a horrible person for not believing her, but y'all just have to know the whole story and I don't have near enough room to explain on here. She is still working everyday, at Wal-Mart, drinking and partying every night, she claims her hair is falling out, but it always has (genetics). Please only serious answers, I don't need anyone giving me hell. TY

Answer: radiation therapy, like chemo therapy, attacks rapidly dividing cells(hair, skin, cancerous growths) in the body but radiation is typically done to a local site such as your mothers breast while chemo is ingested or injected and has wider spread effects. typical radiation therapy to the breast tissue can cause a multitude of side effects including: fatigue, pulmonary fibrosis and or edema, infection (decreased white blood cells) decreased clotting (low platelet counts). it is important to remember that each patient is different and will respond a little differently. also many patients may be on a combination of cancer therapies(like chemo and radiation)

Question: A link has been established between hormone therapy and breast cancer, but isn't "the pill" a hormone therapy? U.S. Breast cancer rate falls http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061214/ap_on_he_me/breast_cancer Fewer breast cancers linked to less hormone therapy http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061214/hl_nm/breast_cancer_hrt_dc_1

Answer: The pill is a cause of breast cancer. Feminists advocate taking the pill I might add. http://www.pregnantpause.org/safe/pillcanc.htm In 1989, Anderson et al. [174], published a classic paper regarding the influence of the OCPs on the rate of breast cell division. They found that nulliparous women (i.e. women who have not had children yet) who took OCPs had a significantly higher rate of breast cell division than nulliparous women who did not take them. This was especially important since it is known that cells which divide more rapidly are more likely to become cancerous. Really, feminism is the cause of breast cancer in many other ways than simply advocating the use of the contraceptive pill: 81-PERCENT INCREASE IN BREAST CANCER SINCE 1971 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/29/content_5154954.htm "Having fewer children before the age of 30, early menarche, late menopause and being obese or overweight after menopause are said to be all factors behind the increase." [ Children before 30 and breast feeding is THE primary means of preventing breast cancer. ] http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/breast/incidence/ The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing for many years in economically developed countries. Over the twenty year period 1984-2003 the incidence rate increased by 51% [ Coincides with feminism nicely again ] Breast cancer incidence rates vary considerably, with the highest rates in the developed world and the lowest rates in Africa and Asia. [ No feminists in Africa and Asia ] HOUSEWORK CUTS BREAST CANCER RISK http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2522050,00.html [ Hot picture in the top one. ] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6214655.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/29/nhsewk29.xml DON'T TAKE THE PILL. HAVE CHILDREN BEFORE 30 AND BREAST FEED. DO HOUSEWORK. IN OTHER WORDS: DON'T BE A FEMINIST. Otherwise pay for your own breast cancer health funding.

Question: I am currently doing radiation therapy for breast cancer. What kind of deodorant can I use?

Answer: I would ask your doctor or one of his staff. I wish you BEST of luck and keep your spirits up!! I'll put you in my prayers for a wonderful recovery and long, healthy, happy life ahead of you. God Bless!!