Bilateral Mastectomy or tamoxifen

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Busybee
Busybee Member Posts: 13
edited June 2014 in Second or Third Breast Cancer

I'm 41 years old and was dx with DCIS microinvasive in my right breast, after a lumpectomy without clear margins, my surgeon recommended mastectomy due to the extensive DCIS ER/PR+ throughout my right breast along with LCIS.  I had a mastectomy done in March, with an expander for reconstruction. My oncologist said that there are side affects with Tamoxifen, and she lean heavily toward having a mastectomy on my left side as well, since there will be reconstruction done there in order to balance and match with my right side. 

My concern is that I have atypical hyperplasia in my left breast with microcalcification.  Thinking about going through another mastectomy is a little overwhelming, but so would be getting cancer again!!!  Has anyone been in this position and what did you decide to do?

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2009

    busybee----I have not had a mastectomy, but I do have LCIS and I did take tamoxifen for 5 years (just finished in October). Have you thought about having an MRI of the left breast? (to see if anything more serious is going on other than the ADH?). LCIS is generally thought to be multicentric, multifocal and bilateral, so if you have it in one breast, you most likely have it in the other breast, (even if it is not seen on imaging), but even if you don't the LCIS still puts both breasts at high risk for invasive bc. No one can tell you what you should do, but if you're already facing reconstruction of the remaining breast anyway, a mastectomy would significantly decrease your overall risk. There certainly is a lot to take into consideration with these decisions.

    Anne

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  • CAROLMARIE427
    CAROLMARIE427 Member Posts: 206
    edited May 2009

    Yes, I have been in this position.  I had a right mastectomy in Sept 2008 for scattered DCIS.  It was a bit much to digest at first, the diagnosis and thinking about going for a lumpectomy and then having a mastectomy.  I didn't even really consider my other breast at that time.  Now that it is all said and done, I have decided to have my other healthy breast removed this July.  I am definitely overwhelmed with having surgery again, but the way I look at it is that I have to have an uplift surgery and revision anyways.  So, if I have to do surgery, I may as well go and remove it.  Others think more positive than I do, and can live with the frequent testing.  I can not. It is a very personal decision.  I also have a strong family background of breast cancer, even though I am BRCA negative.  Good luck with your decision.  

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  • Merilee
    Merilee Member Posts: 3,047
    edited May 2009

    I had a bilateral even though I only had cancer in one breast.  I don't regret it and really like not being a prisoner to a bra. I can wear all kinds of cute tops I could not wear before and having all the weight off my chest feels realy good. Not to mention the worry factor.

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