Would you offer radiation to the contralateral breast if after neo-adjuvant chemo and prophylactic contralateral mastectomy yielded ITC only in a single lymph node and no breast primary?
Would you treat both chest walls at the same time? What fields would you use for the contralateral side: chest wall and lymph nodes? or just lymph nodes on that side (no chest wall)? or just chest wall?
For example, with a young patient with advanced disease who had many risk factors?
2 Answers
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Radiation Oncology · Varian Medical Systems/Allegheny health network
Answered on
Other factors would influence my decision. What was the burden of disease for starting NACT on ipsilateral side?
Could this be spread from the contralateral breast to the lymph node?
Was MRI imaging done prior to chemo?
Did staging show any enlarged contralateral node?
Pre-treatment work-up/findings...
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Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Varian Medical Systems/Allegheny health network
Answered on
Based on description with many high risk factors it looks like contralateral spread from high nodal burden on ipsilateral side. The outcome is poor with a high nodal burden, even after chemo. I may consider treating contralateral axilla and s/c along with comprehensive PMRT on same side.
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