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What is the soonest you can start adjuvant whole breast radiation after surgery?

Do you typically aim to wait a certain amount of time to allow for healing? The range seems to be 4-6 weeks but 4 seems a bit early with potential seroma development.
4 Answers
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Radiation Oncology · Harvard Medical School
Answered on

My general preference is 4-6 weeks (up to 8 weeks) expecting normal healing. I rarely start sooner than 4 due to healing concerns (even if things look good) and have only done this (starting 3-4 weeks post op) a few times due to extenuating circumstances, and only if the healing appears adequate. I ...

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Radiation Oncology · Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh
Answered on

I typically wait 3-4 weeks for simulation, starting a week later but the soonest I have done is 2 weeks post-op if healed.

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Radiation Oncology · Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania
Answered on

The healing concerns are all valid. We wait 4 weeks (due to the additional below practical anecdotal reasons), and aim to start within 12 weeks.

  • Path report takes several business days to be returned.
  • OncotypeDX takes about 2-3 weeks to return.
  • Patients like to see their surgeon post-op to discuss ...

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Radiation Oncology · Penn Medicine
Answered on

The patient must be healed prior to starting. Typically, this occurs around 3-4 weeks. The risk of poor wound healing and infection is greatly increased when starting before the wound is healed.

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