Hi
Thanks for adding me to the forum. I have read some of your posts and they are informative and supportive.
I was diagnosed initially a month ago following discovery of a lump with a stage 2 6mm ER PR lobular cancer, following an ultrasound guided biopsy. As it hadn’t shown up on mammogram (dense breast), I had an MRI scan, which confirmed what was seen on ultrasound but also found a ‘suspicious nondescript area’ in the same breast and another poss benign lump on the other breast. Following more biopsies, the suspicious area showed it was benign (consultant thinks it may have been taken from wrong area) and the lump in the other breast turned out to be cancerous also - stage 1 ER PR ductal cancer. HER still being tested.
I’ve been referred for an MRI guided biopsy for the ‘suspicious area’ and depending on that should get an idea if I need a full mastectomy on that breast.
I have been told I can have a double mastectomy if I want, or can wait and see if this area is clear then have a lumpectomy on both breasts and radiotherapy. Feel really confused, as they say that the outcome should be the same either way, but can’t help feeling that a double mastectomy would be more thorough! It’s such a big decision - I wouldn’t want to bother with reconstruction though.
Has anyone else been in a similar position? Thank you!
They are exactly right in that either choice has similar statistics and thus wouldn’t affect your long term survival. Mastectomies though are associated with lower incidences of local recurrences. Not enough so that it should unduly influence your choice though but it’s risk versus reward for pretty much everyone in your boat. I chose a double mastectomy although only one breast had cancer and I was offered a lumpectomy. In the US, we do get the choice way more frequently than you guys do. At any rate I chose the two mastectomies because I hate scans and didn’t want to have to deal with the increased rate of them in the future. I had what they call “busy breasts” and I figured it was probably going to lead to biopsy after biopsy and I wanted to avoid the stress of that. Secondly, and I’m unusual in this, but I had never liked my natural breasts to begin with. They were large, dense, and hard to scan properly. Plus they didn’t go well with my physical appearance since I’m a petite woman. I knew I would want reconstruction but we chose to go with the double mastectomy first so that surgery could occur relatively quickly. It was easy healing IMO. I was back to doing my usual activities two weeks later. The DIEP was harder to heal from but you’re not looking for reconstruction so that wouldn’t bother you. Anyway that was my mindset and I have no regrets whatsoever. The new girls look good enough, I’m healing up well, and no scans to keep track of them required. Plus, although it didn’t affect my decision really, I do like the idea of having a slightly lower risk of recurrence because I’ll take any percentage point I can get towards never having to hear the word breast cancer associated with myself again.