Double Mastectomy vs Lumpectomy

Thank you kathindc~ my MRI guided biopsy is tomorrow. I too am tired of all these tests and can't imagine having to go through all this again! I have a feeling that the other spot is cancer too (don't know why, just do). If it is, then I definitely have to have a MX but then my struggle will be to decide on BMX or not. Will still have to meet with a PS to really get a grasp on my options. It is such a personal decision but I REALLY appreciate hearing how others made their decisions.

So I had my MRI guided biopsy (performed by a radiologist & team) on Thursday and my BS called last night to say that they did find cancer but he's not sure it's a new spot because the surgical clips are right next to each other. Wtf?? I will have more answers on Tuesday after my BS talks to the radiologist but I'm wondering if anyone else has heard of this happening before? I know that the MRI takes pictures differently than the mammo but how did they think it was a totally different spot that needed a biopsy? They also couldn't find this other spot by ultrasound which is why I had to have an MRI guided biopsy. I thought i would have clear answers toward surgery but I'm still in limbo...very frustrating!

Speedy4-Getting through all of the diagnostics is a difficult process-hang in there. It was the most anxiety-ridden time of my diagnosis.

Psbhcole-glad that you have been able to come to a decision for your surgery--it is a difficult process to make, but you know when you've made the right decision for you.

I had the most anguishing 4 weeks of my life during my initial diagnosis.  I had no palpable mass, but just a little tiny "crease" in my skin.  My initial diagnostic mammogram was neg.  My initial breast ultrasound (after 30 minutes of searching),finally found a little 7 mm mass.  First core bx. came back IDC and DCIS.  My first MRI showed 1 other area of concern in that breast, as well as an additional 8 mm mass in the other breast.  Neither could be found on ultrasound.  MRI-guided biopsies of both breasts-left proved to be a benign fibroadenoma, but the second area in the right came back atypical lobular hyperplasia.  I decided that I simply could not go through the anxiety of screenings, finding "things", having more biopsies, etc. in my "busy" dense breasts (as my radiologist has deemed them). I decided right off the bat once lumpectomy was out of the question for the right breast, to proceed with BMX.  There is no easy answer, no right or wrong decision.  It simply has to be one that you are able to live with--no regrets.

I know the fear you have of it spreading. As soon as I got my diagnosis, I wanted it out of my body ASAP. There was only one surgeon in my hometown who did all of the breast cancer surgeries and he was on vacation and wouldn't be back for 2-3 weeks. This lull gave me the time to search out second and third opinions. I ended up going with a different surgeon in the end. Once I decided on her, she told me I would need to wait another month for surgery because the plastic surgeon she wanted me to use was (guess what?) on vacation!



It ended up being 2 long months from my diagnosis to surgery. I am very sure had my cancer been aggressive, the surgeon would not have had me wait this long. It was still hard to wrap my mind around at the time, but I know that in my case, waiting got me one of the best surgical teams around. It turned out to be a blessing that the first surgeon was on vacation because I would have jumped at the earliest surgery date available had he been in town.

sweetie, I chose mastectomy and it was a hard decision for I was making wedding plans when diagnosed, I wanted the lumpectomy to spare the breast But I also wanted to not have to go back later and get a mastectomy, so I decided on mastectomy. (I am now a this yr 19 year Survivor)Praise God), Faith, Hope and Positive thinking really worked for me, be blessed and we are in my prayers daily. msphil (idc, stage 2, 3 nodes, L mast, chemo and rads and 5 yrs on Tamoxifen)

If you weren't scared right now, you surely wouldn't be normal! My advice at this point is to get 2nd, 3rd, and even fourth opinions. If your tumor isn't aggressive, you have a little time to do this. If you are like me though, you want the cancer out today! It took me two or three weeks after diagnosis to come down to earth and start to think logically again. Before I made my decision, I talked to 4 cancer surgeons, 2 plastic surgeons, an oncologist, and a radiation oncologist, plus a couple of nurses who specialize in breast cancer navigation. Some were more helpful than others in helping me make my decision.



With stage one, just know that they caught it early and you WILL make it through this. There are some challenges ahead, but you can do it. Like I have mentioned before, the fear of the unknown was more crippling for me than what actually took place. I'm not saying everything I went through was fun, but it wasn't as bad as my imagination thought it might be.



Fight like a girl and good luck!

I have been diagnosed with breast cancer for second time in same breast. 13 years in between. Considering a double mastectomy. My only concern is problems in the future. Not even sure what to ask. I have been reading this post all evening. I really liked Bessie questions to ask yourself. I had a lumpectomy the first time. Radiation, tamoxifen, and then arimidex. Have dealt with the. Arimidex side effects for 13 years. I guess I am concerned. With the side effects of a DMX. Help

Speedy - I don't know if the laws vary by state or not, but in MI they have to pay to bring you to a point of symmetry.  So, if someone does decide bmx they don't have to pay out of pocket for the second one.

I am having the same issue with indecision. I was diagnosed on 5/9/16. IDC on the left, 1.6 cm, stage 1, grade 2, ER+/PR+, HER2+. My MRI result just came back with negative nodes. The lump is localized. The surgeon feels that I am a great candidate for lumpectomy but am already scheduled for a BMX on Monday. She said to think about it but it is up to me. ????? Arrggh..

It is a tough decision. If you start with an lx, you can always have an mx later if you change your mind.

I had lx. The tumor was bigger than what ultrasound showed. I had close margins, so I had to have either another lx or mx. It was almost certain I wouldn't need rads if I had an mx. (Of course there can always be surprises). So after chemo I had mx with immediate DIEP recon, skipped the rads (yea!)

Lots of people get through rads without much trouble, but after reading about the potential problems, I was really happy to avoid that treatment.

This was honestly, without a doubt, the hardest decision I have EVER made in my life. EVER. I think I turned myself inside out deciding. I have some important and I hope helpful points:

1. My bs, at an NCI Cancer Center, told me that studies show that women are happy with their decision -- regardless of what their decision was! So if they chose BMX they were happy with their decision; if they chose LX they were happy with their decision. So it appears that JUST making a decision is the ticket, and chances are you won't regret it.

2. No one can make this decision for you. When I was struggling, and then after I had made my decision to do a BMX, I got some pretty forceful responses on these boards including some forceful private messages, implying I was overreacting by having a BMX. It was quite startling, since for the most part everyone on here is wonderful. It turned me against coming on the site for a while. Some people are very emphatic in their opinions. But the bottom line is NO ONE on here is your bc twin -- we all have different cancers: different sizes, different places, different boobs, different bodies. What is right for one person could be literally a death knell for someone else. So don't let anyone influence you. Do the research and make the decision that is right for you.

3. and finally, my decision: I had had six biopsies. Six. My first Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia (ADH -- atypical cells that aren't quite cancer) resulted in my choosing to do a lumpectomy of the right breast (my bs wouldn't even consider a BMX for ADH, nor would I). When they did the lumpectomy they found DCIS, so I was upgraded to actual cancer. I refused radiation (that is a whole other story, but I didn't want it); I had clean margins. On my six month follow up mammogram, my right boob had grown lots of things that weren't there six months before: more atypia, a radial scar, and something else I don't even remember right now but the bottom line was I had to have ANOTHER lumpectomy to remove the new stuff and make sure there was no cancer lurking. My boob is not supposed to build things, and it thought it was a General Contractor making a housing development. In addition, I tested positive for a "new" gene variation that is getting attention for being connected to a higher risk of bc: BARD1; you aren't supposed to make a decision to do a BMX just based on BARD1 because the studies are just now being done on it, but it was a bad indicator. And then my mother and her sister had both died of breast cancer. So I decided to do it. And you know what? They found LCIS in my left boob that had not shown up on ANY imaging: mammo, MRI, ultrasound, biopsy. I could have gotten ILC before we even knew it was there. It was very nice to have a "ah hah!" moment to tell me I did the right thing while I was suffering with the recovery, but even without it once you make the decision don't go back and doubt yourself. (by the way I was climbing on the operating table and talking to my bs: "So we should do this you think?" and she laughed and was like "At this point we're doing it.")

4. The BMX and recovery is a beast; it is no cake walk; you may want your mommy while going through recovery. But I am totally recovered from it. My pec muscles are still tight, but I used to lift weights so my pec muscles are tight and thick and hard to relax. I'm dealing with it. and no more mammograms, no more biting my nails at 6 month check ups, and no more biopsies. It's over.

Hope that helps! Excuse typos I'm lying in bed and too tired to proofread!

Thank you for sharing Ipsy. It sounds like you have been through a lot. I am sad to hear that you received negative messages from folks from this site, but I am happy you are back to share with others like me. Reading posts and sharing thoughts help me process this HUGE weight of cancer that is crushing me.

Myraknits, when do you need to decide? I'm meeting with the BS today. I'm still on the fence, but my husband is all for BMX. I have felt some peace thinking I may go the BMX route.

We met with the Radiologist yesterday and she put my mind at ease about rads. Considering that the reoccurrence rate is the same I'm going to opt for lumpectomy and rads and opt for th shorter recovery time

I am happy you made your choice Myraknits 🎈

CJSharma, I was told the reoccurrence rate is not the same. Reoccurrence rate for lumpectomy is 5 to 15% and BMX is 1-5%. Survival rate is the same. Then you consider how each choice impacts future surgeries, appearance,radiation, MRI's, and mammos. It is not an easy decision.

This article might help. It was published May 16. http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/best-sur...