Dr. Weiss is from Germany and she knows the German treatment concept!
It is important to document where progression occurs after radiotherapy -
often its on the edge or even outside the irradiated areas, because RT is
often tailored too tight around VISIBLE NODULES and not addressed to the
total area of PALPABLE DISEASE (which may not be visible) ...

I know this from my own treatment, when I was surprised how large my
RT portals were chosen by Prof. Seegenschmiedt, however he explained
me the "iceberg" concept where 10 - 20% of the disease is overt to yourself
but with careful palpatory examination a much larger area is detected.

So Iwould opt for RE-TREATMENT with RADIOTHERAPY if fields were too
tight and new nodules are discovered outside, but DO NOT RETREAT the
former areas ! Larry

Edited 01/30/11 13:07

Thanks, David.

I'm gonna check these articles out.

Just to make you all aware of systemic side effects of TAMOXIFEN which is often
used in the additional hormonal treatment of breast cancer ...

TAMOXIFEN may cause serious side effects, including blood clots, stroke, and endometrial cancer.
If one is considering to use tamoxifen as part of your treatment plan, you should take into account
that smoking or a history of blood clots or heart attack is a highly risky aspect when using TAMOXIFEN.

Some of the critical symptoms are:

* abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge
* pain or pressure in the pelvis
* leg swelling or tenderness
* chest pain
* shortness of breath
* weakness, tingling, or numbness in your face, arm, or leg
* sudden difficulty seeing
* dizziness
* sudden severe headache

The most common side effects of TAMOXIFEN are:

* fatigue
* hot flashes
* night sweats
* vaginal discharge
* mood swings

Hot flashes or night sweats from taking TAMOXIFEN can be very troublesome.
A Study from Great Britain (2008) suggested that women who experienced hot
flashes and night sweats while taking hormonal therapy medicine were less likely
to develop or have the breast cancer come back (recur).

As a benefit, TAMOXIFEN can improve bone density, which reduces the risk of loss
of bone while aging ("osteoporosis").

Larry

Edited 02/01/11 10:07

Larry,

Thank you for this information!

Did not mean to cause a ruckus with respect to the new drug thing, it is most likely the Xiaflex but I can only guess. My sister in law did not know the name.

Hopefully my RT treatment will have gotten the whole iceberg.... I don't want to do it again. I actually kind of asked to widen the area that was being treated, but Dr. Weiss felt it wasn't wise to treat an area that doesn't have any observable nodule (or the ability to feel a nodule). I have complete confidence in her. And I've chosen to take a positive attitude and hope the situation has been resolved! Unless and until there is clear indication to the contrary. I genuinely believe the mind can provide a powerful antidote to something like this.

For now at least, I can still play, and more importantly, improve my playing. This represents an improvement over where I was when I sought treatment, so I will keep my fingers crossed.