I asked my breast surgeon today for his thoughts on mastectomy for someone in my boat:
- early-stage breast cancer.
- no spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else.
- lumpectomy + chemo + radiation + Herceptin.
- seven years survival.
“Definitely not,” he told me. ”You’ve come too far, and you are doing so well.”
Plus, I am constantly monitored, and, at this point, my chance of developing a life-threatening breast cancer is slim.
There’s just no need for a such a drastic and major surgery, he said. The resident on service with him agreed.
I told my doc that it seems a trend that woman are removing their breasts after diagnosis rather than saving them when conservation is a real option.
“It is a trend,” he said, sharing that he spends lots of hours in lots of meeting discussing why women are moving in this direction.
If not medically necessary, mastectomy is just not something he supports. He even advises women who do need mastectomy for cancer in one breast to not remove the other one. Why? Because lopping off a healthy breast does not up the odds of survival.
Never did I actually want to cut off my breasts — I just wondered if it was a wise move for someone like me. The majority of readers who responded to my November poll Mastectomy — Do It? Or Too Drastic? chose “Do It.”
But my surgeon picks “Too Drasic,” and so I’m gonna roll with his wisdom.
For now.
KD on 1/23/2012 at 2:19 pm said:
This is so interesting; thanks for sharing. I had a doc in Gainesville tell me I might as well cut them off now because of my family history.
Needless to say, I am no longer seeing that one!!!!
Dianne Duffy on 1/24/2012 at 2:47 am said:
…which is exactly why there is no one real answer! My family history made my double mastectomy the right choice for me. But I’m BRCA2+. And he’s right, it probably won’t help with my overall survival, it only buys me a little more time…
Nancy on 1/24/2012 at 3:34 pm said:
It does seem to be a trend doesn’t it? I’m sure it does cause you to have moments of doubt now and then. I think you and your doctor are making the right decisions for you. That’s what it all comes down to isn’t it? For me, I didn’t feel as if I had any options other than the bilateral. Believe me if I hadn’t had my “back to the wall,” I would not have made that choice.
Jennifer Calvert Edwards on 2/3/2012 at 8:38 pm said:
It is hard when you have been diagnosed because you are trusting the doctors with your life. We often do things because they say to. I had to because of the BrCa2 gene. But whether you have to do it or not, Remember no one can cut your soul!
Kate Matthews on 2/19/2012 at 3:43 pm said:
When I researched this topic, the numbers seemed to indicate that there was a slightly higher risk of recurrence for women who chose lumpectomy. I think this statistic leads many of us to choose mastectomy as we’ll do anything to reduce our longterm odds. However, for a single incident of stage 0 or stage 1 without BRCA, I think that mastectomy is overkill. It’s important to really research the issue and come to the place that feels right for you.
For me, the hardest part was making a choice before knowing for sure which stage I was in.
maggie on 6/5/2012 at 1:05 am said:
Hi Jackie,
This may be a little late, but I wanted to give my opinion. A mastectomy is an extreme measure that I think is usually motivated by fear and there is no medical evidence that proves that it is any more effective than lumpectomy. Side note: When a man has prostate or testicular cancer, do they recommend radical removal of male body parts? I had a mastectomy 15 years ago and I still have a very flat chest on one side with a big scar on it. And, guess what – it’s permanent. Reconstruction was not an option for me and wearing a prosthesis isn’t a great option either. Losing a breast causes great emotional pain and the full impact doesn’t hit you until some time later. When I was asked to make that decision, I was so filled with fear, I would have let them cut off my head if I thought it would make the cancer go away and never come back. A mastectomy did not prevent my cancer from coming back. An option that I’ve seen used a few times recently is that chemo is done first so that the tumor shrinks, allowing for a much less radical surgery. I truly hope that one day in the very near future, mastectomies will not even be considered an option for treatment or prevention of this disease because it is viewed as ‘barbaric’. now stepping down from my soapbox. Wishing you a peaceful mind and lots of love,
maggie
Jacki on 6/5/2012 at 9:15 pm said:
Not too late at all — thank you so much for your great insight. I really, really, really appreciate it!