Small breasts and lumpectomy
I have recently been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. I have a 2.7 cm mass at 12:30 on my right breast. When discussing lumpectomy vs mastectomy with my surgeon she said I may not be able to get by with a lumpectomy because my breasts are too small (I'm probably a large A to small B). Has any one had a lumpectomy that has 'small breasts' and a tumor my size or larger? Did you have a good outcome?
Thank you for any help!
Comments
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If you are willing to travel, I suggest that you look into cryoablation as an option to a lumpectomy/mastectomy. It is being done for early stage cancer in many of the large cancer centers in the US. It has been used for almost 20 years in Japan because many women there have smaller breasts and this is a less disfiguring option than traditional surgery.
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You could seek a second opinion from a breast surgeon trained in oncoplastic lumpectomy where the surgeon uses plastic surgery techniques to preserve the shape and size of the breast. My tumor was 3.2 cm and while I am a small C I was almost totally symmetrical after surgery. The surgeon did have the fallback of doing a nip/tuck on my other breast if necessary but it wasn’t needed. All the best.
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Thank you for your response. This sounds like a really interesting treatment, but as of yet it's not covered by my insurance. Hopefully more cancer centers will offer it and it will be covered.
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This sounds like a good option. I don't see my surgeon again for 2 weeks. I see my oncologist tomorrow and will get his opinion. I will also see my radiologist (from a former cancer I had) next week and will see what he says. Hopefully I will have their opinions and more information to have a better discussion with my surgeon. When she told me that my breasts were 'too small' I did not have enough information to question her. If she cannot make me feel more comfortable in my options I'll seek a second opinion. Thank you for your help!
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