Anyone with both breasts???

Sept45,

I had cancer on both sides but it was not found on the second side until the pathologist saw it after my double mastectomy. It was missed on the screening mammogram, the magnification mammogram a week later, and the MRI on both breast prior to surgery. The sterotactic breast biopsy showed my cancer was DCIS, small but an agressive type. I only had 3 days from diagnosis to telling my surgeon my decision. Although his nurse said the usual course of action was lumpectomy and radiation, I realized I didn't really understand what those were. I researched on the Johns Hopkins website and Mayo Clinic website, learned more about cancer than I ever thought I would need to know, and decided that I didn't want to take the chance that a lumpectomy wouldn't get it all or that cancer would return later or that it would show up in the other breast in the future (little did I know it already had.) Learning about radiation was a real eye opener and I knew I didn't want it unless I had no choice. I walked into the surgeons office ready to plead my case for a more radical procedure, but was shocked when he said he agreed completely and asked when did I want to do the surgery? He said since my cancer was small, in all likelyhood there would be no lymph node involvement yet and the mastectomy would get it all. I would not need radiation or chemo. He was right. The sentinal node biopsy on both sides should no lymph nodes were affected. The pathology report on the undiagnosed side showed LCIS, again an agressive type, so I couldn't be happier with my decision. Although the surgeon tries to get all the breast tissue, it is virtually impossible. But the chances of cancer reoccurring in the tiny little bit of breast tissue I may have left is 1% - 2%. I can live with those odds.

Sept45--I too was diagnosed with bilateral BC this year. Original tumor in right breast was found by mamo in Jan 2013, then one week later, BS wanted to do MRI on both to make sure that nothing else was going on before she took me in the OR for lumpectomy... and I hit the BC lottery. All mamos and US the week before had missed the left tumor, which was larger. My BS said, "you are no longer a candidate for lumpectomy with rads, we need to get rid of all your breast tissue because, for whatever reason, you seem to be growing these things. I recommend bilateral MX with immediate reconstruction". 

I feel that you should get a 2nd opinion. I was just today reading an article by Dr Susan Love, and she stated that when you are diagnosed with BC, it is not an emergency. You have time for, and should make time for, a 2nd and if necessary, a 3rd opinion.

I have heard/read that radiated tissue is much harder to perform reconstruction on later if you have a local recurrance and need mastectomy later on. It can be done, but results could be less than if the tissue had not been radiated in the first place. You need to look into this just so you are aware.

Also, make sure you are dealing with a very experienced BS, one who does primarily breast surgery and deals with BC on a regular basis. And if you decide on mastectomy with recon, see a PS that will give you all the options, both implants and all types of flaps. Many times, you'll only have recommended what the PS is trained to do, not all the options out there available to you for recon. 

As it turns out, I feel fortunate now that I was diagnosed with bilateral BC. Thought I was a goner at the time, but BS said my prognosis did not change, they go by the statistics of the poorer of the two tumors for your prognosis. Had my BS not ordered the pre-op MRI (not the standard of care, by the way), I'm sure I would have had a poorer outcome, with a poorer prognosis when the left tumor was eventually found, probably years later. I had my bilateral mastectomy, no nodes involved, immediate DIEP recon, and luckily, my Oncotypes were low enough that I did not require chemo.

I'm glad to know that I have done all I could possibly do for the best overall outcome for my situation. And remember, all BC diagnosises are different, no two exactly alike.