Nipple sparing mastectomy

Anonymous

Nipple sparing mastectomy

Tara17

trying to find information about nipple sparing mastectomy. How did you make the decision this was the right way to go? Did you have complications at the nipple site? Has anyone had a local recurrence after this procedure? Thanks for any input, ladies!

Leatherette

Bumping because I have the same questions...

muska

I had this procedure done in 2013. They test tissue close to the nipple and only do this if cancer is not very close to the nipple. How did I make the decision? My surgeon told me I am a candidate and she would do it if no cancer found close to nipple during surgery. I immediately agreed.

I am very happy with the results and I have had no complications with the nipple so far.

SpecialK

I had skin and nipple sparing bi-lateral mastectomy done in 2010. One of the criteria for candidacy is whether or not you would be a lumpectomy candidate also. If you are, and would not lose the nipple in that surgery, you are generally a nip sparing candidate as well. I did have bi-lateral necrosis, but it was not on the nipple, it was on the skin. My oncological breast surgeon cored out the nipple/areola complex at the time of surgery, and this was sent to pathology separately from the breast tissue and excised tumor. I currently have neither nipple due to unforeseen complications with reconstruction that left asymmetry after a number of surgeries, and the subsequent need to downsize implants. It was easier to downsize the uncompromised side (ironically the cancer side) by removing the nipple and using a traditional mastectomy incision to make the pocket smaller, then I had the other nipple removed later due to malposition. I can say that if I had not had complications my result would have been fantastic - I could tell right after surgery that everything looked amazing. Ask your surgeon about his/her complication rate and also how many of these procedures they have completed. Experience counts a lot for this type of surgery. My surgeons were experienced, and I was just unlucky - I had no risk factors going in. Good luck!

Tara17

thank you for your posts ladies. My BS told me i would have a higher risk of recurrence with nipple sparing and thus I did not end up saving it. No regrets , not looking back because i am traveling forwards --moving forwards and will aim for some kind of nipple prosthesis or reconsutrciton down the road