lumpectomy vs mastectomy - why did you choose your route?
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Hello, busymomof3cat! Welcome to Breastcancer.org, and thank you for sharing your story here with our members.
We hope you will continue to be active in the boards and continue to share your experience with implants surgery and more. If it helps, here is a popular forum where you can talk with others facing decisions on reconstruction surgery (just click on the link to go there).
Please, keep us posted on how you're doing and how surgery goes!
Best wishes,
From the Mods
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Update on my implant surgery on Oct. 31. Was a typical procedure. Came home before noon and felt fine. Was hungry, so had a small meal and took a nap. Not much pain, took one pain pill and haven't taken any more. Am taking an antibiotic for 7 days. Checkup at PS on Monday afternoon. The implants feel softer more natural than the expanders did. Will return to work if PS releases me.
This has been a year long journey that I am happy to be almost finished with. I feel confident in my decisions and will be able to not be a worried about recurrence, at least in the breasts.
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Hi busymomof3cat1, You are very lucky to have been given the chance to have a bilateral mastectomy. I am currently recovering from my third time with breast cancer, right mastectomy and 3+ weeks later, still have a drain in. ugh! That will hopefully come out on Monday when I see my plastic surgeon! I have a strong family history of breast cancer yet when I went to a cancer hospital in Philadelphia in 2019, I was refused a double mastectomy because apparently it was the hospital's policy not to remove a healthy breast! I definitely should have gone somewhere else, but hindsight is always 20/20. Basically, they caused me to wait until my "healthy" breast had cancer too! Sheeeesh! All I can do is deal with the present, and plan for the future!
I am sorry you had a rough go of it last spring, but happy to hear that things are going well for you now during post expander surgery. If you don't mind, I might PM you in a few months with questions about that procedure. I have an expander in my right breast because I had a DIEP reconstruction of my left breast in 2019 and that is a one and done operation. My only choice was implant or going flat, which I didn't want! The whole expander/implant thing is new to me.
I am in my late 60's and I agree with your reasons of wanting a bilateral mastectomy 100%. I had IDC in 2003, ILC in 2019, and now high grade DCIS with microinvasion. I am a little jealous that you won't need any hormone therapy, Aromatase Inhibitors or Tamoxifen, but very happy for you too! I saw a new MO and revisited the AI again, not due to DCIS, but because of my ILC from 2019. So I will try Letrozole again, but it terrifies me!
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The Mods
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I chose mastectomy because my oncologist said I wouldn’t need radiation therapy, or take Tamoxifen and further breast MRI’s. I’m 46 and didn’t want to risk of having another surgery as well. My oncologist did say I made the right decision with mastectomy because the cancer was bigger than originally reported. So if I I had the lumpectomy, I would have needed another surgery.
I’m 9 week post op and had my first tissue expander fill last week. The cancer side is pretty bruised. I’m back on antibiotics to prevent infection. Has anyone had this? I’m scared of what will happen on my next fill. This has definitely been lik a roller coaster ride that I hope to be over with already!
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kalaukin, I have chosen BMX for the same reason of not wanting the radiation that comes with lumpectomy and not needing mammograms in the future. I'm glad I chose this path because the cancer was found in the other breast that MRI didn't catch.
I was on antibiotics a couple of times because one side of the implant got infected. In my case, putting breast implants was the most difficult part but once it is done, you will get used to having them and it will be close to normal. For you, the worst is over, things will improve and you will be ok.
What type of BC did you have? Any node involment?
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Hello - I was diagnosed with Stage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma on 02/06/23. I'm 43 yrs old and had my very first mammogram on 01/12/23. Four days later, I was notified that a mass was detected and additional testing was required. My naturopathic doctor recommended me to a surgeon (I'm assuming because regardless of test (+ or -), lump would need to come out. Surgeon was the one to deliver the news that I was + (ER +/PR +, Her2 -). He was not aware my ND did not notify me of findings. So there I was, learning from a surgeon that I was + for BC. Saw an oncologist same day. No receptors were available yet so made an appointment for following week. Learned at this appointment, I was Stage I. MO recommended lumpectomy, radiation, and hormonal therapy.
My dilemma, I've never had children and still have the desire to have one. I relayed this information to the surgeon who recommended a bi-lateral mastectomy, in hopes of forgoing radiation treatment and possibly hormonal therapy. He recommended me to a reconstructive plastic surgeon. I had made the decision to move forward with the bi-lateral.
I saw my oncologist on 03/08/23. When I told her the news of my decision, she was taken a aback and asked why I had made such a drastic decision for stage I. I informed her that I did not want to do radiation. This opened pandoras box and I was informed that regardless of which surgery I chose, some type of treatment would be necessary. But which treatment will allow me to still have a baby??? I'm heartbroken. I have to choose between my health and my desire to have a baby. So now....what do I do: lumpectomy or mastectomy? I'm so overwhelmed....
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Hi azqueenb, welcome to our community here at BCO. We're so sorry you find yourself here faced with these overwhelming and difficult decisions! We know how hard this is, made especially harder by your desire to be able to have a child once you've finished treatment. Many of the recommended and available treatments can have an impact on fertility, and it's important to understand the risks of both undergoing or foregoing these treatments. We would definitely suggest talking to your OBGYN about what options are available to you, and continue the conversation with your oncologist to discuss the best path forward. If your oncologist is not amenable to having these conversations, there is no harm in seeking out a second opinion!
We also suggest reading through some of the topics in our Young with Breast Cancer forum. Because of the age of the members who post there, there are several topics and posts that deal directly with fertility preservation, pregnancy after breast cancer, and more.
The Mods
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Hi Azqueenb
I'm not aware of contraindications of radiation and pregnancy, and the radiotherapy oncologist would probably be best suited to address this. In fact, it's a bit problematic for the surgical oncologist to be advising you about these treatment choices that are probably more within the expertise of the medical oncologist.
Women do go on to be pregnant after cancer treatment. It requires temporarily foregoing hormonal treatment (they are all incompatible with pregnancy) but my understanding is that studies have not established a significant impact on long term risks.
If women need chemotherapy, they will often freeze eggs before hand. that may be an option for you as well, especially given your current age. If you are not thinking of using your own eggs, that might simplify things.
This is a conversation you need to have with your medical oncologist, possibly in consultation with an ob/gyn with knowledge of breast cancer.
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Thank you, Salamandra. I spoke to my ob/gyn and she referred me to fertility clinic. I scheduled an appointment with them but I learned yesterday that my genetic test is negative for the BRCA and I can move forward with surgery. I'm trying to make this decision soundly but quickly because I don't want too much time to pass. In reading on radiotherapy, the side effects are scary and overwhelming.
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most people get thru radiation for breast cancer just fine. Is it a walk in the park no not at all but for most people it is doable and not something that would effect fertility. If you have no desire to breast feed then that doesn’t impact your decision. If you do then a lumpectomy would allow you to do that (although if you have radiation you would only be doing it from the breast that didn’t require surgery because radiation would effect your ability to produce milk on that side )
Hormone therapy after surgery is the thing that would impact fertility (and chemo before or after surgery). How soon is your appointment at the fertility center? I know you want to get surgery over with but I think making an informed decision rather that a quick I think I have the information I need decision is the way to go. In the end however the choice of surgery is yours and is impacted by your life not just what a typical patient might do according to some chart somewhere. But yes plenty of people who want to avoid radiation opt not to have a lumpectomy it’s a valid c
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azqueenb, I'm sorry you are joining our club. Most of the women who had BMX, it was their decision not to deal with radiation, scanxiety from all follow-up mamograms, or recurrence after the radiation. Your case is unique in a way. Are you planning to breastfeed when you'll have a baby? If yes, obviously, you will need to keep a healthy breast. If not, then you have to make the decision on how much you need your natural breast vs. implants and how comfortable will you be with scans and worries. Only 15% of breast cancer patients have genetic gene that means the majority of BC patients don't have a known genetic mutation for breast cancer. Keep us posted what fertility clinic suggests.
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My mother is 81 year old and has diabetes and was just had biopsy for a lump in Right breast. First needle biopsy said invasive carcinoma and second said papillary lesion/sclerosing lesion. Pathologist says could be slow growing DCIS or stage 0-1 cancer.
Should I get a true cut biopsy.
Most Doctors want to do mastectomy as they can see satellite nodules in MRI.Only 1 Doctor said Lumpectomy with frozen section analysis.
My question is can she heal from mastectomy at 81 years with 7.5 HB A1 c. I am in a dilemma.
Please give some advice from your experiences as you must have faced similar situations.
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I've recently been diagnosed with DCIS in my left breast. I'm considering Unilateral Mastectomy. I'm 64 and have large breasts (36 C). If you've had unilateral mastectomy and have large breasts, can you share any feedback on the recovery process, use of prothesis, etc.? Thank you so much!
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