Question about BMX and surgeon's suggestion

CJSharma · June 2016

Hi All -

I just had a meeting with my surgeon regarding my BMX. He said he would be doing a sentinal node lumpectomy on BOTH sides, because if the breast on the left (my non-cancerous breast) does test positive for cancer, he would have to go in an remove all nodules. I've had PET scans, MRI's, and Mammos and there is no evidence of the cancer spreading anywhere or in anywhere other than my right breast. I do have a large tumor, but that seems over kill to me. Has anyone else had this done?

mustlovepoodles · June 2016

I am no expert, but I have never heard of this. Is this a breast surgeon giving you this advice? If your scans are all negative, with no evidence of a tumor, I can't imagine what purpose removing the nodes on the healthy side wuoold serve. I think you need a second opinion on this one. Don't let him starting cutting you up without at least meeting with another breast surgeon.

CJSharma · June 2016

Thank you. Those are my thoughts. I won't have surgery until August, so I have plenty of time. But when I heard that, I thought - why would I allow you take take nodes from my healthy side?! I'm definitely getting a second opinion.

Artista928 · June 2016

Wow. I've read surgs take way too many nodes out but not of someone taking from the non cancer side! I wouldn't just get a second opinion, I'd ditch that guy! My tumour was 7 cm so large as well. I thank God he only took 4 nodes out after finding micromets in SN #1. One gal here had a bunch taken out and 0 cancerous to boot and now has lymphedema. Please ditch this guy. He's nuts.

gracie22 · June 2016

Run.

HuskerFan · June 2016

Are you sure the surgeon is actually removing them on the unaffected side? My right breast was the side with cancer, but they injected the blue tracer dye in both breasts. The reasoning for this was that if they found any cancer on the left side during my BMX, the dye would already be there to follow to the sentinel node. All of my pre-surgery scans showed no lymph node involvement, but they did this just as a precaution. My surgeon only ended up taking two nodes on the cancerous side.

CJSharma · June 2016

HuskerFan - he said he would take them out for biopsy, then decide how to move forward. The Tracer dye in both breasts makes sense. But he said he would be taking 1-4 out from both sides.

HuskerFan · June 2016

Hmmmm, I would definitely question that.

muska · June 2016

Hi Sharma, I second what the others have said above and would like to add, even on the cancer side they don't necessarily remove all affected nodes because this does not improve survival or recurrence rates but it does increase the risk of lymphedema. You will have radiation that is supposed to get rid of whatever cancer would remain in lymph nodes after surgery (hopefully, there will be none because you already had chemo.)

In my case - see my profile below - no biopsy/nodes removal was done on the left side during BMX.

I would try talking to your surgeon again and ask many "why" questions and would get a second opinion from another reputable breast surgeon, preferably working with/at a major research center.

Edited the first paragraph after noticing you already had chemo.

CJSharma · June 2016

Thanks, I am. I'll reach out to him directly as I believe in feedback and making sure the other person knows what is bothering you, but I'm also getting a second opinion.

Question about BMX and surgeon's suggestion

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