radiation Question

03-03-2011, 06:35 AM

A family member was diagnosed with two secondary tumours in the brain. ( The primary being in the lungs) The doctor has recommended general radiation for the brain tumours Does anyone have any experiences they could share, in terms of reaction to the radiation and its general success.

08-09-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevoramabama

A family member was diagnosed with two secondary tumours in the brain. ( The primary being in the lungs) The doctor has recommended general radiation for the brain tumours Does anyone have any experiences they could share, in terms of reaction to the radiation and its general success.

My sister had a Pineal tumor in her brain. Which is almost dead center of the brain. She had whole brain radiation & chemo. The radiation killed so many brain cells that we lost her well before she passed. She suffered dementia, short term memory loss and was never the same. If we had it to do again, quality of life vs. quantity would of been chosen. We werent told that dementia & whole brain radiation was almost a certain side effect. She was 51 years old when she passed from pneumonia- caused by a weakened immune system from the cancer treatmetns.

08-14-2011, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sumsand4mom

My sister had a Pineal tumor in her brain. Which is almost dead center of the brain. She had whole brain radiation & chemo. The radiation killed so many brain cells that we lost her well before she passed. She suffered dementia, short term memory loss and was never the same. If we had it to do again, quality of life vs. quantity would of been chosen. We werent told that dementia & whole brain radiation was almost a certain side effect. She was 51 years old when she passed from pneumonia- caused by a weakened immune system from the cancer treatmetns.

My mother received radiation which greatly reduced her energy level, also creating memory loss. Radiation is a temporary measure ( reduce swelling) but not a cure. I agree with you regarding quality versus quantity;the radiation did not seem to provide any value at all. She was in her 82 nd year.

A most heartfelt thanks to you for replying.

08-24-2011, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevoramabama

A family member was diagnosed with two secondary tumours in the brain. ( The primary being in the lungs) The doctor has recommended general radiation for the brain tumours Does anyone have any experiences they could share, in terms of reaction to the radiation and its general success.

there was a time not that long ago when radiation was the only option there was for brain cancers. i have had GBM IV for the last 1-1/2 years. i had surgery then did 7 weeks of general radiation. i am on some pretty potent chemotherapy right now, but before now i would often say the radiation was the worst part of the experience for me. it left me absolutely exhausted and completely fried the inside of my mouth. there were days where i could barely walk from my car to the front door of my house without becoming winded.
that being said, i'm sure you family member's doctor knows the particulars of their situation well enough to recommend what is in the best interest of the patient. cancer treatments are not cakewalks; but they beat the alternative.

05-04-2012, 05:17 AM

Thank you for the reply. My mom passed away May 20 2011. The radiation was indeed difficult and it was palliative care.
I wish you all the best. Steve

09-06-2012, 09:47 AM

Radiation treatment is not without its risks. I received 8200 rads of radiation for a brain tumor 30 years ago and I lost the hearing in my right ear and have other health problems I live with every day. I am grateful to be alive but you have to decide which is more important, quality of life or quantity of life. I am glad I got the radiation treatment but I am not happy with some of the residual side effects. Radiation treatment is much more refined than it was 30 years ago and they use fewer rads of radiation to treat problems now because of longitudinal studies that have shown the long terms effects of radiation on patients. So your family member needs to think about whether it is worth going through radiation treatment to address a secondary tumor if the primary tumor cannot be treated. The desire to live is very strong so your family member may choose to undergo the radiation treatment in the hopes of overcoming the cancer diagnosis. Best of luck to you and your family.

radiation Question

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