Re: No sternum

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

The regime is usually a combination of surgery,

chemotherapy and radiation.  Frequently, the radiation

is external radiation using a linear accelerator.  In

radiation, the dose is delivered tangentially to the

chest wall to spare the dose to the lungs.  Some

radiation treatments involve temporary implants.  



Factors to also consider at the patient's age and

probably complications with osteoporosis.  In

addition, there may have been a significant(?)

radiation dose for the three heart operations, though

you try to not image through the sternum.  



I would suggest the writer contact an radiation

oncologist.  The doctor making the claim of radiation

damage is a surgeon, who may not be aware of the

relations between the treatment modalities and

resulting complications.



--- "Syd Levine (AnaLog)" <AnaLog@logwell.com> wrote:

> An off topic question, but what were the three

> procedures?  I suspect her main problem is not

> radiation damage to the sternum, but rather over

> eager invasive cardiologists.

> 

>   ----- Original Message ----- 

>   From: Glenn and Rita Marshall 

>   To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu 

>   Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 9:19 PM

>   Subject: No sternum

> 

> 

>   I have a question for you medical HPs out there. 

> My mother-in-law has had three surgical procedures

> done on her heart in the last 2 months.  Her sternum

> has just about disintegrated, to the point where now

> they cannot even close her up.  The surgeon thinks

> her sternum became embrittled from the radiation

> treatments she had a few years ago when she had

> breast cancer.  I'm positive he's nuts, and have

> said so.  But I'm not in the medical HP field so I

> don't have any actual numbers in front of me to

> prove my point.  What is the typical dose to a

> breast cancer patient from brachytherapy?  What is

> the high end?  I have no idea how many treatments

> she had; in fact until today I thought all they did

> was chemo. 

> 

>   If there are any MDs who might know the reason for

> the breakdown of the sternum, please let me know. 

> 

>   Thanks,

> 

>   Glenn





=====

+++++++++++++++++++

"One test result is worth one thousand expert opinions."

Wernher von Braun



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



__________________________________

Do you Yahoo!?

Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears

http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To

unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the

text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail,

with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/