Just diagnosed - lumpectomy or mastectomy?? Please help!

hi Joanie, someone posted a great list of considerations when deciding between the two, I'm not sure how to link it but if you do a search for lumpectomy or mastectomy it should come up.

I did lumpectomy and radiation (I tested negative for gene test). The risk of recurrence on the same breast is the same with lumpectomy plus radiation and mastectomy. However I was lucky (after the fact) that I was able to get radiation without scaring my lung or heart. Some people choose mastectomy to avoid radiation and end up having to get it anyway. And then thee are others who prefer a double mastectomy to mentally feel safer or because they test positive for the gene. Once you get more facts on he type of your cancer and whether you carry the gene (which would necessitate bmx), I would recommend that you ask your doctor if you can really avoid radiation with mastectomy. And if you get radiation whether you can avoid collateral damage. I got radiation in the prone position so it worked for me. However radiation did cause some mild lymphedema.

The tissue removed was quite big and even after radiation, you cannot tell other than a faint scar that anything was done to my breast. I'm younger than most so this was important for me. Overall I am happy with my decision. Good luck with whatever you decide and pm me if you have any question

also, my understanding is that now they do chemo before surgery for hormone negatives or her2 positives. I am triple positive and did chemo before surgery. That way you can see how the cancer responds to the treatment. Also it shrinks the tumor so lumpectomy becomes easier (for me my tumor originally was too big for a lumpectomy bit shrank with chemo which made it possible. So if you have only seen a surgeon at this point I would highly recommend discussing this with your surgeon or an oncologist

hi Weolf,

Good luck with the surgery, it is really easy to recover from based on my experience and hope the same with you. I think my lymphedema is here to stay unless my body miraculously creates new pathways. However because it is mild it does not swell too much, and when it does it takes a few days but goes down on its own for the most part. Radiation damages the tissue so if it happens to damage the nodes in a way to affect smooth circulation I think it's possibly to end up where I am. Its luck really. Key is that if you notice swelling take precautions and don't let it get worse. I wish you the best with surgery and radiation, both were easy for me compared to chemo