Why did you have a lumpectomy then mastectomy?

Trvler

I am seeing quite a few signatures saying people had a lumpectomy and at some point a mastectomy? Can you tell me why you are doing this? Is it because the cancer was widespread than you thought before the lumpectomy? Margins weren't clean? Cancer came back?

Thanks.

slv58

Hi Trvler, I originally had a LX because my BS thought I was a good candidate for it. I did neoadjuvent and had PCR and very good margins with surgery. I just found out that I have a recurrence 11/2 years after finishing tx and was told that MX is my only option now. I was really pleased with LX, recovery was easy and aesthetically you couldn't even tell.

Janett2014

I had my routine mammogram in Dec., 2013, which indicated a problem on the left side. Needle biopsy in Jan. of 2014 showed IDC on the left. Two weeks later I had a pre-lumpectomy MRI which showed something suspicious on the right side which had not been caught by mammogram or ultrasound. In early March of 2014 I had lumpectomy on the left and wire guided biopsy on the right at the same surgery. Results from that surgery: positive margins on the left, IDC on the right. BS then recommended MX which was done in April.

daisylover

I tried LX - margins were not clean. I tried re-excision - margins were not clean. I could have tried again, but I was already missing a large part of my breast. At that point, MX seemed inevitable. For me, it's a relief to not have breasts - mine were dense and hid lots of bad things.

Holeinone

Trvler,

I had no idea that I had a armpit full of Cancer. I did know that my sentinel node was malignant. My Breast surgeon suggested & recommended a lumpectomy. I trusted him completely, also my personal Dr. Agreed.

Having Breast cancer was not a shock, being stage 3 was. Right from the beginning, I knew my treatment was going to be aggressive & I was going to be on that roller coaster. Nauseous & scared. I did all I could to stay on schedule, do exactly what they needed me too. I was not always happy with my oncologist. Hard to be happy with anyone in these circumstances. Now, in hindsight, I know she did all she could, was honest with me. Being dx, & then becoming sick from chemo makes us very vulnerable, & sometimes grumpy, angry.

Sorry, I got carried away.... Happy I had the lumpectomy, if I did need a mastectomy I would not do reconstruction.

Bcky

I did not want left breast supine radiation to hurt/effect 20% of my lungs. Rad Onc said there was going to be lung fibrosis for me. Rad Onc said rads were going to hit 20%.I did not want rads to hit 5% of my heart either. I have a heart defect so that appeared to be eventual double trouble for my heart (10-15 yrs down the line). Then I found out about ILC in my left breast. By the time I found out about Prone Radiation (much safer for heart and lungs) being available near my families home 1000s miles away (I could of traveled there and had a place to stay) I was three months out from Lumpectomy and feared I was running too late. I tried calling the Prone radiology Dept at my families state of residence hospital and never received a return call. I gave up fearing insurance would not cover it anyway as I had already measured for rads and had Cat Scans in my home state. When I learned ILC harbors a 20 to 30% higher risk for reccurance I just gave up. Trauma. Shock. Fear. Too little. Too late. I could of stayed at my aunts and had Prone Radiation. Yet that area of the USA has been having nothing but huge historical snowstorms right at the time I would of been getting rads had I decided to fly home. I really think if someone (a PHD) had let me know Prone was an option early on I would of done it. Made plans and got it done.I had no idea Prone radiation even existed until darn near 2 and a half months out from my lumpectomy due to my own research. Prone Radiation only exists in 15 states.

Nomatterwhat

My mammogram showed a lump in the right breast, so my surgeon was confident a lumpectomy was in order.  When I woke up from surgery, my surgeon and my husband were standing over me and my surgeon told me that she did not complete the lumpectomy and that my right breast was 98% full of cancer, according to the contrast.  My husband and I will never forget that blue boob.  She recommended more testing and found that the left breast had micro calcifications in it and that I would probably have BC in that breast as well in three years.  I opted out of going through this again in three years and had a BMX instead.   

Trvler

I saw an article somewhere the other day that said people are choosing mx more than in the past. It was something like 38% up from 33%. Did anyone see that? I can't remember if someone from this site posted a link or where I saw it. It said maybe it was due to more people knowing about BRCA testing because of Angelina Jolie.

Nomatterwhat

My grandmother died of BC and my mother had a BMX as well.  I have a cousin who sees her BS next week for the same dreadful discussion LX versus MX.  I did the BRCA 1&2 and was negative.  Unfortunately, my choice of a BMX was not because of Angelina Jolie, but more of do I want to go through BC again with the other breast knowing it had pre-cancer cells in it. 

Beckers

I had IDC in R and DCIS in L. Breast. First cancer center pushed lumpectomies. I went to different cancer center close to home for radiation and during consult was informed of dangers in radiating both sides of chest and I decided on BMX at that point.

RaiderGirl

BCKY

I never heard of prone radiation. I am so sorry you are going through all this but it seems you made the best decision for you with what you had available.

The possible lumg fibrosis freaks me out. My mom died of pulmonary fibrosis in 2012. I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy. I was never told about the possibility. Then again, would I have opted not to have rads? Probably would do it anyway.

Friday I go for an incisional biopsy for "undefined, unconfirmed , probably malignancy of the left beat.

More rads in the future....oh my.

Gingercake

I was initially diagnosed with DCIS and the protocol for treatment was a lumpectomy followed by radiation. Two and a half years later, I found a lump in the same breast that turned out to be malignant. The treatment recommended was chemo and a mastectomy. After thinking it over, I decided to have a BMX with reconstruction.