Treatment

I have had a lumpectomy and the cancer did not spread to the lymph nodes or out side of the lump that was less than one centimeter. Do I have to have radation and chemo. ther are some other health concerns ,autoimmune diease,high blood pressure that I deal with. Will radation give me a better chance of it not coming back.

You do not say what type of cancer you had. This can help you decide on your choice of treatment. I had a masectomy in November last year and my growth was 5 c. However, the type of breast cancer I had was 1. Slow growing, 2. Has a distinctive path it takes, 3. Does not cross over to the other breast. Mine also was not inside the lymph nodes, however they were removed anyway as a precaution which was fine with me. After extensively researching radiation and chemo in libraries, internet and then contacting Cancer Treatment Centers of America for answers to questions I could not find, I decided not to do chemo. I did discover that women in the South who had done a masectomy were being given radiation which has a high rate of heart damage in masectomy women. Simply because there is no tissue to absorb the radiation, so the heart becomes damaged. In your case, some women will do the radiation since they did not have a masectomy and not do chemo, some do both. I did take Essiac and CQ10 immediately after I was diagnosed. Five months later when the expander was removed and the implant put in, several biopsies were done and no cancer was found. Remember that your choice of treatment IS your decision in the end, however, educate yourself on the type of cancer you have and its characteristics. If I had the other type of breast cancer that 80% of women have, I probably would have opted for the chemo, however, I would have went to Cancer Treatment Centers of America and/or a facility in Houston, TX. These two facilities are more up to date than anywhere else I could find in the US. Every cancer doctor will tell you to do radiation and chemo, choose what YOU feel is right for you after getting the medical information you need.

Carolyn -
I had breast cancer 8 yrs ago and am healthy today! I had a 2.5cm lump with no lymph node involvement, and they got clean margins with a lumpectomy. I did not like the thought of harsh chemo, and refused it. I was 34 and also didn't like the thought of early menopause which chemo will cause. Luckily I had an awesome oncologist who supported my decisions. I did radiation and it was ok. Just use organic 100% aloe on the area after EACH treatment - it makes a world of difference! I would suggest getting some good vitamins which will help your overall health and recovery from surgery and radiation. If you can afford it, see a nutritionist to get a good evaluation of your need for vitamins and nutrition. However, even grocery store multi-vitamins are better than nothing! Eat HEALTHY food and get plenty of rest. You'll do great!

I urge you to be aggressive with your cancer. I, too, have breast cancer, lumpectomy, no lymph nodes and have undergone two courses of chemo (A/C & Taxotere)and am finishing up with 7 weeks (36 treatments) of radiation. It was not easy, but I had to focus on the big picture.
The reason I urge you is a girlfriend I met in the infusion center was diagnosed just as we were, but only had the lumpectomy and some radiation. 4 years later she learned the cancer had metastisized to her liver - she recently passed at age 38 and told me she wishes she had had more aggressive treatment, especially as her mother died from breast cancer. I was about to give up on the chemo when I met her and she encouraged me to stay the course.
Discuss your concerns about high blood pressure, auto immune system issues and the like at length with your oncologist.
I wish you the best.