Stage IIa: lumpectomy or mastectomy

Hi,

I was 42 when diagnosed. I decided to go with bilateral mastectomy as I was the one who discovered lump. Mammo came back normal. I went to surgery with one known cancer and came out with three. One was 1.3 cm, other 1.1 cm and third was 0.2 cm. My "good" breast was ticking bomb, too. I am wondering if I did not have mastectomy if other two cancers would reoccur later? Would it be killed by chemo and rads?

I am 8 months post mastectomy with DIEP and my recovery time was 3 months.

Maxine radiation will definitely impact your reconstruction depending on what kind of reconstruction you have chosen. You need to discuss this with your PS.

I had TE's placed at the time of BMX. We did not know if I would need radiation although my BS thought I would. My PS was aware of this. Ended up that the Rad onc thought I could pass on rads so Ididn't do them. My PS was pleased but he did say if I did have them he would still continue to work with the implant procedure.

I originally thought I was a S1 and so lump due to that, but found out the tumor was bigger then thought and lots of stuff around it taken out w it so I'm really a S11A. I have wondered if maybe I should have had a mast instead and I questioned that and I've been told that the lump was more then fine; I also did the internal rads after the surgery and I'm still doing the chemo now so hopefully any floater cells will be killed off. 

IMO, if  something is going to come back somewhere else in my body, it would have come back regardless of having/ not having my breast and if it does come back in that breast, then I can elect to have the mast at that time. If nothing comes back ever, then I still have my breast, although rather scarred and deflated looking so it's not much of a win.

LuLu2011, I had the internal radiation. I had no pain from the cath they put in. I was very glad to only need 5 days 2 times a day of treatment. I was a bit tired after a week of it but still no pain. Mine was placed at the time of cleaning up my margins, and the treatments began the next day.

hi mom and 2 kids.  i am still waiting on my last test results (i hope) i just had my breast mri with dye yesterday.  when i first found out about 10 days ago and am still trying to learn quickly what to ask the docs but dont know what questions to ask, if you know what i mean?  i hear about Oncitype and havent a clue if thats a test i never got or a type of cancer?  and a petscan, my doc mentioned she didnt think with what she knew 5 days ago, that i needed one and she recommended at that time a lumpectomy at that point, and i sorta decided within 5 minutes of hearing i had breast cancer was just get it all out of me so i dont have to worry anymore! i am almost 59 and have been through menapause for 9 years now and am tiny breasted but their mine!  i am an old hippie with a size 40 a bra, 5'9" and 145 and love to run around the house with no bra with a tshirt when it really hot, and i am so small no ne can tell except if i get a chill.  my hubby just got put on disability 2 years ago and my self employment occupation went down the tubes when my back went out last oct, just in time for my only daughter to get married and i was her maid of honor!  what a mess--i was just having my last back xray and going to go to surgery when the day of my last back xray, i was diagnosed.  do you know if an insert comes with a nipple?  i probaly sound stupid with the types of questions i have, and  i am not a vain person and havent alot  going for me looks wise, but ide sorta like to keep what ive got.  i am told i probably wont need chemo but i will need radiation and hormones that i havent been able to tolerate eve the natural ones for what ever reason since my teens, so i guess ill just be bonkers for the rest of my life?  on top of it all i am just about ready to get kicked off of my hubbys insurance because hes now elegiable for medicare part a and b and dont make enough money for anything now, let alone anything happening in the future.  my doc siad go for te back surgery right after the breast surgery--she saw no problem with that, and if i dont, i wont have any quality of life at from my back and hip and leg being sooo bad, nor will i have the insurance to have it done. talk about a whirl win.  thanks for listening and anyone else feel free to jump n and give a little input-k?   thanks girlfriends!

Peetie - Hi and welcome! You're definitely in the whirlwind part of this diagnosis - I remember that same feeling of not even knowing what to ask. I was diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago - I'm about your age and also stage 2.

Please don't EVER feel stupid for asking ANY question - that's why we're here! Now, I'm not sure about an insert with a nipple - I had a single mastectomy and have a silicone implant. My plastic surgeon made a nipple and I had the areola tattooed on - it looks fine in clothes, even a swimsuit, but the nipple doesn't respond to cold, so I wear a molded cup bra to avoid the "uninip" look.

You now have a whole new set of girlfriends - this is a great place for support and advice. I'm glad you found us!

Sue

i just got a lumpectomy two days ago after agonizing about the decision versus a mastectomy.  My doctor wanted to to take a more gradual approach and get results from a sentinel node biopsy first beforehand, she said I could make that decision after treatment.  I am being treated at a top research hospital and have felt confident with my doctors; however, I received a call today from the nurse regarding my Path reports, stating that I not only have invasive ductal carcinoma ( which I was aware of but I also have DCIS.( which i was not aware of)  Not sure why this was just picked up as I had not heard this before (the DCIS part) my lump was 2.87, grade 2 cancer with 3 out of 8 node cancerous. So the nurse stated that this would be T2 and N1. In addition, they did not get clear margins and want me to meet with the doctors on Monday to discussion options to include re-excision.  I don't understand why they didn't get clear margins?  I thought they would be very careful and now I don't know if I want to take any more chances and think I should now just go with the mastetomy. 

 Any advice?  I feel upset that the doctors did not get clear margins, what happened? All new to me, just don't get it, I just feel very upset that they weren't more careful? I don't know if that is fair but I just don't understand, any one have any advice?  It will be a long weekend again..

jazlaumir- I had a bmx, so that didn't happen to me, but I've seen a lot of people saying they didn't get clean margins, and had to have it done again.  Maybe if you check the surgery threads you'll see some stories there (?) 

When you think about it, its all very individual, even how the tumors look - if its spread out, and there are microscopic amounts near the margins, there's no way the surgeon could have seen it.  It stinks, but it happens - that's why they examine the specimen so carefully after excision - to make sure the margins are clean - if it weren't a common concern, they wouldn't bother.

Hi. I was a stage IIA but my doctor went for mastectomy and removal of 23 nodes. My tumor was about more than 2cm but less than 5cm and was located on the inner aspect of my right breast. I opted for mastectomy because I wanted to forego radiation which comes along with lumpectomy being my tumor was near my heart and thinking of its effects on vital organ. Well, now I still have to go through radiation because I dont have a clear margin on the the bottom part of my tumor. The surgeon said that she cannot dissect anymore than what she took because it was already my breastbone. It sucks because I was foregoing it, now I still have to go through it:( There was really no way they could know if the margins are clear or not until after the surgery.

I am currently being treated at Mass General and love my team.  Who was your surgeon?  Going for a re-excision on Monday.  I did not get clear margins the first time.  How are you doing a year+ out?

I am going for re-excision on Monday.  I was given the choice of mastectoy after unclear margins, but chose to go with the reccomendations of my team.  What did you decide, and how did you fair?