Not sure what to do very overwhelmed

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Monty7159
Monty7159 Member Posts: 1
edited November 2015 in Just Diagnosed

my wife was recently diagnosed with stage one invasive ductal carcinoma it is 1.5 cm in size my wife has been going to a oncologist for a few years for a thyroid condition he suggested she go for a mammogram and they found the spot did a biopsy and it came back positive in talking with him and asking him what he would do if it was his wife he said double mastectomy so we made appointments with the surgeon and plastic surgeon the breast surgeon had a different opinion she thinks lumpectomy with radiation would be what she would do any suggestions or advice

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  • Holeinone
    Holeinone Member Posts: 2,478
    edited November 2015

    Monty, many ladies on these boards are more qualified than I am to tell you statistically what is appropriate.

    Here is what I have learned. Mascetomies are not necessary in many cases. Women want "it" out, ASAP. If you have multiple tumors, or very large tumors, it might be necessary.

    My surgeon was/is very pro lumpectomy. My Cancer ( lobular ) is called the sneaky Cancer, hard to find. It does result in more mastectomies, as it difficult to see on mammograms.

    It's a personal choice, obviously. I have read of many scary stories of reconstruction infections, failed expanders. Unless the surgeon can tell you why, I would think its not necessary for stage 1 with a small tumor.

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  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited November 2015

    The least amount of surgery necessary to remove the tumor and clean margins around it, and remove and assess the lymph nodes, is the best. Bilateral mastectomy drastically reduces the chances of recurrence, but it is NOT a guarantee. Unless your wife has a strong family history &/or genetic mutation, IMHO (and in my surgeon’s opinion, too) bmx is overkill; as long as it’s small, early and nonaggressive, lumpectomy + radiation gives as long a survival rate. And if the tumor is small relative to the breast size, easy to isolate and in a good location, umx (single mastectomy) is also akin to declare your car a total loss rather than pull out a dent.

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  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited November 2015

    Is your wife at a major cancer centre? If not, try to get an opinion at one. The breast surgeon is the expert. It is proven that lumpectomy plus radiation is equally effective as mastectomy.

    Keep in touch. We are here for you and your wife.

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