Hi Jo Mar
After reading your post I needed to comment on a lumpectomy and radiation.

Fifteen years ago my sister in law had a lumpectomy and radiation. She now has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. The cells have been tested and they are NOT the same cells as her breast cancer therefore, it is not a metastasis, but a separate cancer. She happens to be a "healer" for people who are surviving breast cancer (she has a website however she is now working on her lung cancer). The point is that after further research, she has found that many women who have radiation to the chest wall for breast cancer have developed lung cancer later on. In fact, her lung that is affected is on the same side as her breast cancer and her radiation treatment.

Since lung cancer is hard to detect until late stages unless you are lucky, (does not even show up in a xray) it is very important for women who have had radiation for breast cancer be monitored frequently for development of lung cancer.

I hope this information helps some people and please spread the word.

Lisa