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Breast Cancer/Breast Shrinkage Permanent?

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Expert: - 5/2/2006


Question
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Followup To
Question -
I am on my 12th day of radiation for breast cancer. My right breast is now smaller than the left.  Will it keep shrinking until my 33rd and final treatment?  Is this shrinkage permanent?
Answer -
What is the final dose (in grey or rad) supposed to be? Has surgery been done? How big was your tumour & where in the breast was it located? I need this information in order to answer you!

Surgery has been done.  Tumor was located at the 12:00 position on the right breast and was 1cm in size.  I don't know about final dosage.

Answer
There are some individual variations here that make it difficult to predict the outcome. It also depends on the final dose. Probably if this was a lumpectomy - which it looks like - you will be given a "full" dose of 60 greys = 6000 rads. Otherwise it could be 45 greys = 4500 rads. With the higher dose there is a somewhat higher risk of fibrous change, which can result in some shrinking. How big that will be is impossible to predict in an individual case, but is normally not very big. However if it is a lumpectomy, the higher dose IS necessary to ensure as much as possible local control of the tumour!
Any shrinkage will most probably be permanent.

Breast Cancer

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Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D.

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I`m a doctor of medicine and a specialist in radiation therapy and medical oncology. I have long experience in diagnostics and treatment of breast tumours.

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I'm a Doctor of Medicine and specialist in Medical Oncology and Radiation Therapy educated & trained in Sweden. Now retired. Background in Radiation Therapy, Medical Oncology, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology, Gynecological Oncology, Clinical Pathology, Clinical Cytology,Hematology and Internal Medicine. M.D. from the faculty of medicine, Royal Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Have also been an exchange student at the Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem Israel. Former medical consultant, Swedish National Board of Radiation Protection. Former Police Surgeon and Medical Examiner, Stockholm Police Department. Former Chief Medical Officer, The Royal Guards, The Royal Horse Guards and the Royal Household Brigade, Royal Swedish Army Medical Corps.You can also reach me on: http://www.lifestylerescue.com/expert/health-fitness-advice/dr-claes-gustaf/128 I have no restrictions on the number of questions there.

I also answer questions about Oncology (General Cancer), General History, Military History, Brain Tumors, Colon Cancer

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I'm a medical doctor and specialist in medical oncology and radiation therapy.

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