My upcoming surgery

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MissNicey
MissNicey Member Posts: 3
edited January 2016 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

I was diagnosed with invasive infiltrating ductal carcinoma , January 6, 2016. After meeting with the doctors, I had pretty much made up my mind to have a lymphectomy, instead of the breast removal. Now I am a little confused, because people are telling me that I should have the whole breast removed, to avoid the risk of it coming back. I was okay with the decision I made , because I am not ready to have a breast removal. Am I wrong?

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  • momof2doxies
    momof2doxies Member Posts: 342
    edited January 2016

    Stay with your decision. There is no guarantee that the cancer will not come back in breast tissue that remains after a mastectomy. Best wishes on your journey.

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  • keepthefaith
    keepthefaith Member Posts: 2,156
    edited January 2016

    You can always seek a second opinion from a professional...not "people". There are always going to be risks of recurrence,no matter which way you go. You have to do what's best for you. Don't worry about what others think about your decision. With LX, rads are usually given, also. Not as often with MX. It sounds like you may need to get more questions answered by your medical team. Hard decision.

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  • BarredOwl
    BarredOwl Member Posts: 2,433
    edited January 2016

    Hi MissNicey:

    On the one hand there is the risk of local recurrence, which may vary depending on the circumstances and may differ between the options of (a) lumpectomy plus radiation, and (b) mastectomy.

    On the other hand there is overall survival. My understanding is that a variety of studies have found no significant difference in overall survival between options (a) and (b), and in some studies, lumpectomy plus radiation was reported to be slightly better than mastectomy in terms of overall survival. (Although a person may survive, but still go through a recurrence).

    Choosing lumpectomy plus radiation is an excellent choice for many.

    If you would like more information as you think about what is best for you, here is an excellent post from Beesie about mastectomy and lumpectomy considerations:

    Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy Considerations (scroll up/down to find Beesie's post of Jun 20, 2013 12:00PM)

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topic/...

    You can talk to your surgeon about the estimated risk of local recurrence in your case and how your imaging and biopsy results may support the lumpectomy option for you, if you have not already discussed that. Your personal preferences and your personal risk tolerance are more important to your decision than what others might think they would do if they were in your situation.

    BarredOwl

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited January 2016

    Hi MissNicey, you are receiving great advice from our amazing members here. You may also want to look at this page, if you haven't already: Mastectomy vs. Lumpectomy. We too recommend a second opinion if you are uncertain.

    Thinking of you!

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  • BrooksideVT
    BrooksideVT Member Posts: 2,211
    edited January 2016

    Do talk with your surgeon again about the risks of recurrence with lumpectomy plus radiation. He will be able to refer you to statistics (helpful for your friends) that show near-identical outcomes for the two types of surgery. Also, do keep in mind that if the lesser surgery would put you at greater risk, your doctors would not have presented lumpectomy as a viable option.

    The lumpectomy offers a quicker, easier, recovery and significantly less risk of infection and healing complications.

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  • BarredOwl
    BarredOwl Member Posts: 2,433
    edited January 2016

    Hi BrooksideVT:

    When you refer to near identical outcomes, are you speaking of local recurrence and/or overall survival?

    BarredOwl

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  • msphil
    msphil Member Posts: 1,536
    edited January 2016

    hey sweetie i was planning wedding when diagnosed chose mastectomy my choose n am now 22yr Survivor Praise God everyone s different hugs !!!!!!! msphil idc stage2 0\3 nodes Lmast chemo rads

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  • etnasgrl
    etnasgrl Member Posts: 650
    edited January 2016

    I had a lumpectomy followed by radiation, which I'm currently doing.
    Like you, I didn't want to remove my whole breast. Given the size and location of my tumor, I was a good candidate for a lumpectomy and went for it.
    My surgical oncologist told me that a lumpectomy with radiation was just as effective as a mastectomy. I do NOT regret my decision at all.

    As far as recurrence, no one is safe, regardless of what type of surgery they have done. Women who have lumpectomies can have a recurrence and so can women who have mastectomies.
    Do what is best for you and don't worry about what anyone else does or says. (Unless it's your doctor. Then, of course, listen to what he/she has to say....then make your decision.)

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  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited January 2016

    One thing about it, if you have a lumpectomy and you later need to have a mastectomy, you can. But once you have a mastectomy, there is no going back. Take your time. Talk with your breast surgeon and get her advice. Ask questions. Get a second opinion if you're still unsure.

    There's no reason to get in a big rush to treat this. Most IDCs are relatively slow-growing. Many of them have been growing over a period of years before they show up on a mammogram. So taking a few weeks to figure out what you want to do is not unreasonable. In the meantime, stay off Dr. Google and be wary of people who try to make your decisions for you.

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