Hi everyone i have been told by one doctor that they are 99% sure that i will have to have my breast removed then i see another doctor he says go for a mri scan to see how big the cancer is ( they think its about a inch but could be bigger)so if there is a chance i can keep my breast then they will know from the mri which i go for on 18th nxt tues 19th nxt wed is my pre op appointment then my surgery date is 28 jan but i wont know the results until the 27th day before surgery but i really dont know even if they can save my breast if i want to keep it if that makes any sense i would love everyone opition people who have had breast removed or people who had surgery to remove the cancer but kept the breast or just anyone
Hi,
dont know if this will help but, I was told that a mastectomy would be required , before I got the biopsy results, they knew from the scans, I had MRI scan I was told to enable the sugrgeon to get a better idea of the position of the growth, and also to see if other breat had Ca. During this time waiting for scans I decieded to go ahead with immediate reconn, This was 18 month ago. It is hard having to make decisions when your given this bombshell, but you will make it with the guidance and care of your BC team
take care things do get better x
Hello there, I can emagine the conflict & termoil that you are going through at the moment but the only really important thing at the moment is making the right decission for your longterm health. I would be guided by the experts, if you lost your breast it WOULDN’T be the end of the world, everyone can have reconstruction at some stage and you will learn to accept it sooner than you think.
I had to make a decision after a lumpectomy weather to let the surgeon go back in and take more away or lose my breast, I chose the latter because I just wanted it over and wanted to feel safe that it had all gone. I have lived happily for three years with a prothesis and now feel ready for reconstruction. I know what you are going through right now and send lots of love and a big hug, go easy on yourself and look forward to feeling better.
Burnie xx
Hi Max
I’ve been in a similar position twice, and done both!
First diagnosis I had lump removed. It left my breast a slightly odd shape with a dent, but this did fill up with scar tissue in time (I could still feel it but it wasn’t visible). I didn’t worry about recurrence in the breast at all, so never wished I’d had a mastectomy.
5.5yrs on, I was diagnosed with a recurrence in my lymph nodes but no sign of cancer in the breast. However, the doctors were concerned there might be cancer hiding behind scar tissue so suggested a risk-reducing mastectomy. So that’s what I did.
It’s a personal decision but having been in both positions, I much preferred having a slightly odd shaped breast with a nipple to no breast at all, and if you have radiotherapy, I think the stats re. risk of recurrence are about the same.
Good luck with the surgery, and making the decision. xxxx
When I was diagnosed the thought of losing my breast was something i found difficult to come to terms with.
I did eventually have a mastectomy and to be honest I needed to have it given the size of my tumour and am glad that I did. The thought of losing your breast is far worse than actually losing it (in my view) it is after all only a piece of flesh and it saves your life then its a small price. Obviously there are body image issues but after being diagnosed with breast cancer these for me were minor issues. I had my mastectomy a year ago now - I have a prothesis and its fine - I probably will have reconstruction in the near future. You will work out whats best for you and I am sure will come up with the right solution. good luck x
Hi madmax71
I was also in this position and know just what you must be going through. My tumour was large for the size of my breast. I wanted to avoid a mastectomy if at all possible. So I had an MRI to check if there was anything else lurking there, and then axillary node sampling last August (to help with the decision). My nodes were clear and there was just one tumour. I was given the option of having a mastectomy straight away, or trying to reduce the tumour so I could have conserving surgery.
I was then referred to the oncologist and, because my tumour was strongly ER+, I was put on Letrozole hormones and Zoladex injections to try and shrink it. (I thought I would have had to have chemotherapy to shrink it - I was prepared for that - but as my nodes were clear my oncologist thought chemo would have been overtreating).
The hormonoes worked, but not quite as expected. Ultrasound said it had shrunk, but the MRI I had on Tuesday said otherwise: There is less of a tumour, but it had sort of “dissolved” and there are still bits of it in the original area.
On Thursday I was told that I still need a mastectomy after all. It was a big shock. I’ve got over the shock now, and just want to get it over with. I will be having an immediate LD flap reconstruction.
I do not regret trying to shrink it first, as at the time I could not have faced losing my breast and I did not like the idea of losing a back muscle as well. I felt that I would rather go through trying to shrink (and it not work) than to have had the mx originally as I would always have wondered whether it was possible.
Why not ask your doctor if they could tell you your result earlier? They may know the result before the weekend. This will give you more time to think. If the MRI says it is too big for a WLE, but you want to consider trying to shrink it first, why not ask for node sample surgery first instead. It may help with the decision.
PM me if you want.
Remember, just do what you think is right for you.
Julie
Hi. This time last year I had just had a lump removed and was pleased with the result. The breast still looked ok and didn’t have a bad shape at all. Unfortunately when I saw the surgeon for results he hadn’t managed to get clear margins. I had the choice of another wle or mx. At the time I just wanted to be clear of the tumours and had no problem with deciding to go ahead with the mx rather than try another wle. I now know that had I decided to try the wle route it wouldn’t have worked as they found more than they expected. Now I have completed chemo and rads I know that I want a reconstruction as I am not comfortable being lopsided but the mx was the right decision for me at the time. Good luck with your decisions.
Hiya,
I had a 17mm tumour removed last year. I am a 34d bra size and my surgery is great. The scar is around the edge of my nipple and really cannot be seen, and there is very little difference between breasts. I was amazed. I could have had a mastectomy if I’d wanted, but my surgeon said I didn’t need one. My surgeon was an onco-plastic surgeon. I looked at before and after pictures of her surgery to hive me an idea of the results I would expect. My friend had the old surgeon at my hospital who told her she would need a mastectomy. Before her surgery, the new onco-plastic surgeon I had started work there znd was horrified she hadn’t been offered a lumpectomy. She said it would be fine and now, 3 years later, her breast looks great with a hardly noticeable scar.
So I would wonder, in your position, whether thecactusl surgeon doing your op thinks a wle is possible, consider asking for a third opinion given that your doctors are disagreeing, and ask to look at photos of work done by your surgeon . Good luck with your decision.
Vickie
Hi Madmax
There are other operations available, it doesn’t have to be lumpectomy or mastectomy, there are other alternatives available these days.
I was told my tumour was 17 to 23mm diameter, in the top half of my breast, above the nipple. I was offered a lumpectomy combined with a breast lift and reduction “cosmetic boob job” type operation, since if they just removed the lump I would be left quite misshapen. Once they started to operate it turned out the tumour was 30mm, but they were still able to do the boob job and get clear margins. I ended up with a smaller breast (38C) than I had hoped for, but it’s a nice shape and it’s still all me, no implants or prostheses needed. They used some tissue from the underside of the breast to fill in the hole in the upper half where the tumour had been (I had quite large boobs). I then later had the non-BC breast done to match, since I’d been left with a very uneven pair.
It may be that your breast surgeon isn’t trained to do these types of operations, and they never like to admit they don’t know everything, so ask lots of questions!
Sarah x
I was told I was having a mastectomy because my tumour was 2.4cm and in the middle of my breast just below my nipple. I asked my surgeon if I could have a lumpectomy instead.I was told that my nipple would point downwards and that he’d try to make it look as good as possible. I haven’t a problem with how it looks now. The bottom bit is missing but unnoticable with a padded bra and I’ve still got the same clevage. I’m so glad I pushed for the lumpectomy.
Josie x
I have the same decision to make because im CUP cancer so dont have a primary tumour, but at least ive another 12 weeks to make the choice. Im asking my surgeon to ask The Royal Marsden for a written second opinion again.
I too was offered a choice, I was also given access to bresdex website (ask your bcn) with lots of tools to help you decide. I opted for mastectomy, pleased I did as DIC tumour 2.8cm, but surrounded by DCIS so 4 cm in total and very close to chest wall. Surgeon told me that mastectomy was practically unavoidable.
Now 8 weeks down the line scar healed and very neat, getting used to new silicone prosthesis, and even with node clearance (2/14 glands affected) have very nearly full range of movement in my arm and don’t need painkillers at all.
This is a difficult time, and only you can weigh up those things which are most important to you personally.
Good luck,
Pat
Have you discussed neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with your doctors? This is something given prior to surgery, and n some cases this allows a tumour to be shrunk down enough to facilitate a lumpectomy. But it all depends on the type of BC, and of course you have to weigh up whether delaying surgery while you have chemo is a sensible option.
Personally, I didn’t have a reconstruction at the time of mastectomy, because initially my Doctors thought I was stage 3, and were keen for me to have radiotherapy to the mastectomy site (they said that reconstruction and rads are not a good mix). Once they discovered that I was stage 4, they said reconstruction would not be an option anyway - but I stood up for myself (as i’ve had to do in many areas of treatment), and they have now agreed that I can have reconstruction later this year.
Hi thanks to everyone for your support and advice the doctors think my cancer is to big to be shrunk first my cancer is lubular cancer not near the milk ducts which is harder to see with a ultra scan and mammagram so i go for a mri on the 18th to be sure how big the cancer is
Hi, I’ve got a Tubular cancer too and they said that I didn’t need an mx and I would have same chance of recurrence even if I decided to have one. I guess then it’s differences in opinion about where it is/ what size it is compared to your breast as it’s meant to be slow growing. Mine was
Noticed as a bit odd on ultrasound, biopsied and diagnosed but they’ve not suggested MRI and have told me size based on ultrasound. Guess that means they could be wrong and they might not get a margin, but at least I’ll know they tried.
My surgeon sounds closer to your first one and it’s meant to be low risk of recurrence so I’d ask them why an mx? Mine is 14mm but I’m a DD but it could be how big a gap it will leave?
I’d ask the questions until you’re absolutely sure why they are saying this and what your choices are xx
It’s worth bearing in mind when considering the size of your tumour and how much of a hole will be left, you have to take account of the need to get clear margins as well, so it will be bigger.
As a further point of info on the “boob job” type op, officially known as therapeutic mammoplasty or mastopexy, they re-locate the nipple at the same time so it sits in a sensible place and looks natural. I was even more pleased with it when the sensation returned after about 3 months, so it even works the same as before. Magic!
Sarah x
Hi there i too was given the choice and the emotions and turmoil of deciding were all over the place ranging from am i doing enough or doing too much.I had a single lump 2.6 cms and my surgeon said it was all confined to the breast area i also had full axillary node clearence which fortunately were all clear .I decided to go down the lumpectomy route and iam very pleased with the scar which was glued ( no sutures) so have a very neat thin silvery line now which is hardly visable and i have no mis-shape or divert like they said i might have its all totally concealed behind my bra or bikini tops so iam very pleased with results and he reassured me that no one operation was better or sucessfull than the other on reoccurence and survival it just depends on if the size of the tumour, position and
if there are moe than 1 area and also stage.So just go with what feels right for you and what they recommend take all those factors into consideration and i also asked the question " what would you do if i was your mam" ? good luck with whatever you decide x Julie
Hi there,
I was diagnosed in December last year after finding a lump in my right breast. It measured 25mm on ultrasound, biopsy found grade 3 changes. I had an MRI which showed another tumour in my left measuring 8mm, grade 2.
My surgeon was pushing for a double mastectomy due to my age (I’m 30), and she thought there would possibly be a slightly lower recurrence. My chemo and radiotherapy would be the same whatever decisin I made.
Having spoken to my oncologist and researching extensively, I decided on a double wide local excisions with sentinal node biopsies. Thankfully the nodes were clear and even though the tumours were 31mm and 11 mm at the time of surgery, the surgeon got excellent margins and I’m really happy with the cosmesis. She “fluffed” the remaining tissue (probably not the technical term…), so that they both look equal in size. My right breast was always slightly larger and now they match, apart from nipple direction - my right can see around corners now - they’re even a little more perky!
All in all, it is a very personal decision to make. I found it very difficult to make the “right” decision until I read Dr Love’s Breast Book. Very informative, and I asked lots of questions of my surgeon, oncologist, BCN and radiologist.
Ultimately, you need to feel safe in your choice: it’s your body so don’t make a decision based on what anyone else thinks. As Dr Love says, “It’s not as though if you choose wrong you’ll die, and if you choose right you’ll live”. Treatment options are just that, options. If your team strongly believed that one course of action was far better for you, then they would say. But you’ll get the best combination of care no matter which route you choose.
Once I realised this, and having researched and educated myself, the pressure of this huge decision was lifted. I went with my head, heart and gut. I’m happy with my choice, my scars and my up coming treatment plan. And that’s what matters.
I hope this rambling is of some use! Best of luck with your decision.
Hi, Just thought I’d add my story.
I had a 2cm, Grade 3 tumour, and had a WLE, with margins (10mm)they ended up having to take about 2/3 of my breast tissue, as I am a 36C. I was amazed that they could take so much and still keep the breast. At the time they put in a temporary implant, and then 4 weeks later reconstructed the breast using skin and fat from my back (LICP). It does mean that I have a large (approx 12") scar across my back, but it is very neat and starting to fade. There is no scarring on my breast as they did it all from the armpit. The final result feels very natural, I think only I can tell that there is a bit of a dent where they have folded the skin up inside.
Hope all goes well whatever you decide.
J