Here's a simple title for the given text: Should I Start Radiation Without My O...

I personally don’t understand the urgency of having radiation before the oncotype results. How long will it take to get it back? Why radiation and not chemo? You are stage 1 with no lymph node involvement. I think checking with the cardiologist is a good idea, even now or if you wait for the oncotype results. Good luck

I am in a clinical trial DEBRA. Left Invasive lobular cancer, neg nodes, Oncotype 16, tumor 17 mm. The trial omits radiation and only aromatase inhibitors for 5 yrs in one group and radiation and aromatase inhibitors in other group. If oncotype is low then chemo shown in studies not to be beneficial. Ask more questions for sure.

Hi Rhonda. My tumor was on the left also. I waited 3 months between surgery and radiation. They take a lot of measurements to make sure the rad isn’t going to hit what it’s not supposed to. They will likely test you while holding a big breath and without. Sometimes holding the inhale moves your heart further out of the way. In my case, it was better not to hold my breath. Best wishes!

I go for the measurements appointment tomorrow. I’m very anxious about my heart and lungs.

Sylvia you can look at the “target field” after they take the measurements and ask more questions. I was on the fence about it. Since I didn’t do chemo I went with the radiation. I had a large tumor, 5 cm and grade 3.

I had to have an EKG and a stress test before my 30 rounds of radiation. I have the same concerns for heart and lung. My cancer was left breast at about 10:00 o’clock as well. They told me the breath holds help to protect your heart. I guess it’s a wait and see kind of thing.

I’m holding thumbs. 🤞

I had ductal cell in my left breast. I had a lumpectomy to include to lymph nodes. I did 20 rounds of radiation first and then I got my uncle type back after the radiation. They were all surprised to find it was 27. So then I had TC chemo four rounds, every 3 weeks. I just finished 2 weeks ago. I think it's fine to do radiation before chemo. I wasn't even aware I was going to have to have chemo. I've had some heart issues in 2018 so I was cleared by a cardiologist to have my lumpectomy but I just follow him every 6 months or so. There was no mention of anything radiation or chemo would do to my heart. I don't think that's a big concern in oncology unless you have some heart history or something like that. I have a hard history and they didn't seem very concerned about it. I'm also stage one and lymph nodes were clear.

Thanks, Tammi. I haven’t done the onco test. My oncologist said it wasn’t really necessary if I wasn’t going to have chemo. I’m still curious to know what my number would be though.

It was the deciding factor for chemo for me. If it had been low, I would not have benefited from it.

Sylvia I think it’s still important for you to know that number and understand the recurrence rate. You have to advocate for yourself. Personally, I would ask that they do the test. It can also provide a little peace of mind as well.

Sylvia, I agree with Rhonda C. They can do the Oncotype test from biopsy/pathology taken at surgery. You should know and it takes almost 3 weeks to get test back. Recurrence rate is of importance too.

This sounds like a challenging situation with the timing mix-up on your test results. Many patients in this community have faced similar decisions about treatment timing and have found it helpful to ask their oncologist specific questions about why the recommendation changed and what factors influenced that decision. Regarding heart monitoring during left-sided radiation, advocating for your cardiac health is completely reasonable - many patients work with their care team to establish appropriate monitoring protocols. The community here has lots of experience navigating these treatment decisions and balancing different concerns, so hopefully others will share their perspectives too.