Removal of 2nd breast when no recurrence
Hi
All,
First of all I want to thank you sharing your personal
experiences and information on this network. When I was first
diagnosed it really helped me to come to terms with my diagnosis and
to ...
Forum Discussion
Hi there,
I was diagnosed with lobular cancer in my left breast August last year after feeling a lump.
I had been having regular mammograms every 2 years and nothing had shown up.
turned out the cancer was 5.5 cm so there was no hope of saving the breast.
I was an E cup so decided to get a reduction in the other breast with a view to going to C cups.
I had a tissue expander inserted in the left breast and then 28 sessions of radiotherapy.I didn’t have to have chemotherapy but am now on letrazole.
People kept asking me “ why not get the other breast removed too” and I said things like “ I am an optimist” and “ why have surgery on perfectly healthy tissue”.
However as time went by ( I had to wait at least 6 months after my radiotherapy finished for my reconstruction) and I had a long conversation with my breast cancer surgeon who gave me a chance of 10 % of getting cancer in the other breast ( I am 63) and said lots of his clients decided to have the other breast removed but it was a very personal decision.
He said to me “ are you the sort of person who pays the extra insurance when you hire a car not to have any excess?” ( YES that is me!)
I spoke to my ( female) GP, a friend of a friend who had had a double mastectomy in similar circumstances and also to Giovanna one of the lovely qualified nurses on the BCN Network ( sadly no longer with BCN) and that all helped me to come to the decision to “go the double” .
One other factor apart from the desire to avoid the annual “ scanxiety” wondering if I’d been unlucky enough to get it in the other breast, was that I was planning DIEP flap surgery and you can only have it once.
I have just had the DIEP flap surgery 4 weeks ago and am very comfortable with my decision.
Its one of those things where only you can decide and there is no “ right” decision.I have heard that some surgeons are very opposed to removing a healthy breast where there is no genetic predisposition to a higher chance of cancer in the other breast, but it’s not them who will have to suffer the anxiety of wondering if they have to go through it all over again ( including in many cases another course of Chemo).
All the best with whatever you decide.
I was diagnosed with lobular cancer in my left breast August last year after feeling a lump.
I had been having regular mammograms every 2 years and nothing had shown up.
turned out the cancer was 5.5 cm so there was no hope of saving the breast.
I was an E cup so decided to get a reduction in the other breast with a view to going to C cups.
I had a tissue expander inserted in the left breast and then 28 sessions of radiotherapy.I didn’t have to have chemotherapy but am now on letrazole.
People kept asking me “ why not get the other breast removed too” and I said things like “ I am an optimist” and “ why have surgery on perfectly healthy tissue”.
However as time went by ( I had to wait at least 6 months after my radiotherapy finished for my reconstruction) and I had a long conversation with my breast cancer surgeon who gave me a chance of 10 % of getting cancer in the other breast ( I am 63) and said lots of his clients decided to have the other breast removed but it was a very personal decision.
He said to me “ are you the sort of person who pays the extra insurance when you hire a car not to have any excess?” ( YES that is me!)
I spoke to my ( female) GP, a friend of a friend who had had a double mastectomy in similar circumstances and also to Giovanna one of the lovely qualified nurses on the BCN Network ( sadly no longer with BCN) and that all helped me to come to the decision to “go the double” .
One other factor apart from the desire to avoid the annual “ scanxiety” wondering if I’d been unlucky enough to get it in the other breast, was that I was planning DIEP flap surgery and you can only have it once.
I have just had the DIEP flap surgery 4 weeks ago and am very comfortable with my decision.
Its one of those things where only you can decide and there is no “ right” decision.I have heard that some surgeons are very opposed to removing a healthy breast where there is no genetic predisposition to a higher chance of cancer in the other breast, but it’s not them who will have to suffer the anxiety of wondering if they have to go through it all over again ( including in many cases another course of Chemo).
All the best with whatever you decide.