Should I Choose a Double Mastectomy or Lumpectomy?

That is exactly what I did my friend. I don't regret it but reconstruction has been a challenge. First did expanders followed by implants I didn't keep them they felt so heavy to me and they tugged on my incision line so I had them taken back out and now I use prosthetics or nothing at all. However I'm thinking about having more surgery as I'm not happy with the final chest contouring. They look like alien fingers to me fat pads on both sides of each breast with a sunk in center Makes for weird looking to me!

The key here is "whichever one you pick" it's your choice. Do what you feel comfortable with. I also had a 1 cm tumor IDC no lymph involvement and had a lumpectomy first. The pathology results changed the course of treatment. I wasn't comfortable with the new plan so I went back in and had double mastectomy and it was the absolute right choice for me. I have no plans to have a reconstruction but have not completely ruled it out either.

I was originally diagnosed with DCIS prior to my surgery. I too struggled with the decision on what to do. I ultimately decided on a double mastectomy even though my surgeon said I would be just fine doing a single. When I woke up from surgery and they told me they found five invasive tumors and I required further treatment, I had never been more sure of following my gut and doing the double. Follow your gut and do what makes you have the most peace in the long term. xx

Same situation with me as happened with Courtney - my DCIS ended up being three more invasive tumors which weren’t exactly visible on MRI ( my radiologist saw some more invasive looking areas but he couldn’t find them with ultrasound…) so glad I did the bilateral nipple sparing mastectomy - ( I had direct to implant reconstruction- pretty good results but I did develop capsular contracture on one side and it’s funky and uncomfortable too-

Statistically they both have the same long term outcomes. Mastectomy is major surgery whereas lumpectomy is still surgery, but you have a lot faster recovery. Ultimately it’s your choice, but I went the lumpectomy route. One thing is see a plastic surgeon. My friend just had a mastectomy and went straight to implants and the plastic surgeon did an amazing job. She did have set backs after surgery, but she doesn’t regret her decision.

If you have hormone positive cancer, he will still take aromatase inhibitors or tamoxifen regardless, if you have a lumpectomy or mastectomy. With hormone positive cancer, he still have a chance of distant recurrence. Ultimately, it’s your choice If your doctor doesn’t agree with you, maybe you should find a new doctor. Is it a breast surgeon or a plastic surgeon? My friend who had breast cancer shows a mastectomy it went straight to implants she had. Two different surgeons.

I had DCIS and at first wanted a double mastectomy however and after talking with my surgeon and learning that if the cancer came back, it would attack other parts of my body (organs and bones) I opted for a partial mastectomy and no hormone blockers. I am seeing both a Naturopathic Oncologist and a Naturopathic Physician. I have been given a specific diet and supplements. My traditional oncologist is not pleased and while I respect the science I am not a fan of the side effects that could further harm my body. Research until you are confident with your decision. Wishing you all the best. Laurie

Ok it depends on the type of BC you have. There are 34 different types. I can only speak to what I had which was triple negative BC. I had a 1.3 cm tumor with no lymph node involved. I could have had a lumpectomy. I had a bilateral mastectomy because my mom and all her first cousins died of breast cancer. I was considered stage 1C. I did taxotere and cytoxan. I year later my cancer reoccurred in my liver. I asked the MD why it reoccurred if I had not lymph nodes involved? He said it is be my cancer was in my bloodstream and not my lymph nodes. I am glad for the mastectomy because I had very large G cup breast (6pounds a piece) and I did not realize how much pain I was in. My back pain is gone. I definitely needed some for of breast reduction. My sleep apnea pressure setting lowed from a 12 to a 10. So I am glad for the reconstruction. But in the end it did not stop my cancer from recurring but I have NO back pain sleep better.

I have tumor 1.2 positive on left and a TNBC on right. They are trying to shrink it for surgery. It is shrinking with Keytruda and Paclitaxel. I'm afraid of Doxorubicin because of my biologi?cal aortic valve. Any advice

I sent the girls on vacation with no regrets. Dbl mastectomy and started implant expanders then did more research because everything happened so fast I have a malignant gene past down on my father's side. Estrogen pos. I chose to have the expanders removed because of possible reoccurring cancer and have an asthetic flap closure to get rid of the loose hanging skin. My sister and cousin died with it and there daughter's both had bc and ended up with dbl mastectomies. So I'm trying to avoid if it hiding behind the implants Peace of mind for me.

Doctors consider it “the same cancer” if it comes back in the same exact place. If it shows up in the other breast or somewhere else, then it isn’t the same breast cancer. It is just getting cancer again. The likely hood of it coming back in the other breast is statistically low (under 10%). I like the idea of a double masectomy because of symmetry and I have breast cancer prevalent in my family history although genetic testing. And back negative. Good luck. Such big decisions we have to make!

I chose to get a double mastectomy without reconstruction. I do not regret my decision at all.

I have tnbc on my right breast and positive left. I've had chemo for 3 months to shrink the tnbc, and it has half shrunken. I want a double mastectomy and then go back to Keytruda. How much is our decision?

The choice is ultimately yours as many here have said. I had a double mastectomy with expanders a couple weeks ago. The plan is for reconstruction. Expanders are in now and have yet to be filled. My choice for bilateral mastectomy was because I had been getting checked for fibroadenomas on both breasts since age 13, I am 34 now. I did not want to keep getting checked for them and I had considered getting them removed prior to my cancer diagnosis. I do not regret my decision right now, but I also still have a long way to go. As mentioned also, the long term outcomes may be the same or similar for both surgeries with other treatments, so it all comes down to what you will feel most comfortable with in the long run. I wish that this was an easier choice for you or a choice that you didn't have to make at all but still sending you lots of strength and healing energy. 🩷🩷🫂🫂

Hello all. I am new here too. I have IDC breast cancer ER-, HER+, grade 3 in right breast with 3 tumors all under 2cm. MRI & CT don’t show any lymph node involvement but I’ve been told they will biopsy nodes during DMX so radiation is still a possibility. My MO wants double mastectomy. My SO prefers lumpectomy and says outcomes will be the same as DMX. I am choosing DMX especially since I’m HER2+. I am sure of that. I have completed Adriamycin and Cytoxan chemo. I am now getting Taxol weekly along with Herceptin and Perjeta every 3 weeks. I will continue immunotherapy for the next year. I have consulted with a plastic surgeon for expanders and reconstruction but am still not 100 percent sure if I just want to go flat or get implants. I’m am almost done with my Taxol infusions so need to make a final decision soon.

There have been 1000s of patients studied comparing outcomes between lumpectomy and mastectomy with certain types of tumors. They have the same outcomes and likelihood of recurrence. Trials go back to the 80s and continued into the 2000s. I actually looked these up not too long ago. It may not be intuitive, but it’s reality. Mastectomy is not an easy surgery and your body is permanently altered afterwards, including being numb in large areas. It doesn’t guarantee you won’t have a recurrence of cancer just like a full excision via lumpectomy doesn’t. If you have the option to have a lumpectomy with a high likelihood of good outcomes, I would take it.

100 % all the way double M with implants

Dawn H, how are you doing? What’s been going on since your last entry? What was decided to do? Thoughts and prayers with you! 💝

I was also aggressive and happy my surgeon and plastic did it all in one surgery. Mastectomy, expanders, and lymph nodes testing and removal. I found the lymph node to be more annoying and painful and took longer to heal. I use my arm muscles a lot.

Trust the process

I had a mastectomy and still had cancer reoccur. Either way, just make sure you are still getting screening after because mastectomy is not a 100% no reoccurrence

She’s correct. With that stage and so small and because of the treatments now you have the same exact chances with a lumpectomy. I know it’s a personal opinion, but a double mastectomy is very drastic and surgery doesn’t stop there. You need to understand if you want to reconstruct what that looks like surgery wise. 35 yrs ago we didn’t have a choice, it was just cut them off. Medicine and surgery and treatment have come so so far. I had a lumpectomy 36 yrs ago and did t know if I was going to wake up with a boob or not. December 2023 diagnosed and shocked, but also knowing that did t have to have a mastectomy because medicine has come so far. I had a lumpectomy and will do radiation and blocker treatments that also make the chance of reoccurrence even lower. It’s a personal choice. Just know what it means, but do understand your outcomes are the same. Your dr is correct

I'm new to this process as i was just diagnosed on 4/17/24. I have had a lot of information given to me. I went in to see my surgeon with the mentality of having a dounle masectomy. After discussing this with my surgeon, I've decided on a lumpectomy. My surgeon explained to me the difference in reoccurrence between a full masectomy and a lumpectomy/partial masectomy is 1%. Basically she said the percentage of reoccurrence for a lumpectomy is 3% and masectomy is 2%. So, like so many have said before, it's ultimately your decision. Sending prayers and wishing you the best of luck in your treatment. Remember knowledge is power.

I received a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction in once fell swoop for HER+ malignant tumors (2) in my right breast on April 2nd of this year, so very aggressive, but if I do this battle now (surgery, chemo, radiation, hysterectomy and aromatase inhibitors), I should have this done and dusted! I went into the consultation with the desire to do it, and my Dr seconded it and said that it will significantly decrease my chances of reoccurrence over a lumpectomy. It could happen elsewhere, but there’s no longer breast tissue or nodes for it to latch onto. That’s where the chemo and radiation come in to eliminate “microcancers” in the body. The relief I feel and the results of the surgery has buoyed my spirits and helped give me a positive outlook going forward into the chemo stage. I love to see all of these stories and women who are so strong and doing what feels right for our bodies. You’re all amazing!

I had HR+/HER2- had 3 tumors, 1 IDC in one breast, and 1 IDC & 1 ILC in the other. I had lumpectomies on both breasts but they didn't get clean margins on the left breast. I could have had additional tissue removed on the left but opted for full mastectomy on both. My breast surgeon thought it was a reasonable decision. I decided to have reconstruction. Expanders were placed under the muscle at the time of surgery, and I am now going weekly for injections to the expanders until I'm comfortable with the size. After that, I'll have another surgery to remove the expanders and insert implants. It started in late Oct 2023, first surgery Jan 5 2024 and second Feb 23. It has been a long journey and it's not over. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.