lumpectomy/mastectomy and radiation treatment

mudd

If you have a lumpectomy on the left side will radiation be given on BOTH breasts or only the side that had the surgery? If you have a double mastectomy do you then have radiation on both sides? It seems risky to me to have a lumpectomy with radiation on one side only and risk leaving cancer on the other side. very confused.

gb2115

Radiation will only be on the side that had cancer. For lumpectomy, definitely radiation on that side. For bilateral lumpectomy for bilateral cancer, then radiation on both sides for sure.

Mastectomy removing cancerous tissue, maybe still radiation depending on a variety of factors. So bilateral mastectomy for bilateral cancer could end up with bilateral radiation. Prophylactic mastectomy would not get radiation. So people that have one lump but get both breasts removed don't need radiation on the side that was not cancerous. And no one does prophylactic lumpectomy, that doesn't make sense.

I hope that helps!!

ksusan

For example, I had bilateral BC. On the DCIS-only side, I had mastectomy. On the IDC + DCIS side, I had mastectomy and radiation.

EastcoastTS

I had BMX but cancer only affected one breast. So possibility of radiation to that side. However, the surgeon got clean margins and the tumor did not involve anything that required radiation -- like the chest wall. Also, lymph node involvement may have dictated radiation, but I did not have any. So -- mastectomy can include radiation but not always. Lumpectomy always radiation.

Hope this helps.