Masectomy or lumpectomy? Advice please!
I was diagnosed in Jan, had 3 months of hormones followed by neo adjuvant chemo - have just one more round of that to go 
Saw my surgeon yesterday, was expecting the worst to be honest. My cancer is lobular and the tumour was very large (8cm). We discussed masectomies (i told her if I was losing one, I wanted to consider a risk-reducing masectomy in other breast as didn't want it coming back, couldn't face going through it all again etc). She took all that on board and said yes, they would consider doing that.
Then she examined me and looked on the ultra sound and said the tumour had shurnk loads so chemo has done its job really well. She said now we may not need a masectomy, a lumpectomy could do the job.
Now I'm confused. I have to go back after last chemo and have MRI and mammorgram, I will be having surgery end of November either way. I know it's good news and I should be delighted - and I am - but I fear that if I have a lumpectomy I'm going to spend my time worrying about recurrence.
If I do have a masectomy I will have to wait up to 12 months for reconstruction, she said, will have to have radiotherapy first.
Any advice girls?????
Comments
Hi Kazoo,
I am in exactly the same position as you. My surgeon has recommended a quadrant of my breast to be removed and with all going well she hopes to have clear margins following this. I was told initially that I would be having a full mastectomy and now that the hormone therapy has fortunately shrunk the tumor from 7.5cm to 3.5cm she is happy to only do some of the breast. I was reading on someone's topic they had to operate a couple of times to get the clear margins, so I'm with you on not being sure of what decision to make. Part of me wants to just go with the surgeon's choice then the other part of me is wondering if that is the right decision to make. I would be delighted if anyone else has comments on whether this was a choice given to them and what decision they made.
Thanks
Ger
Hi Kazoo
That is super news that the tumour has shrunk so much, pity that your head is a bit wrecked!
I had no choice but to have a mastectomy so I can't really comment on a lumpectomy but I think they key thing is that the margins are clear after surgery, whatever the type. If the margins are clear after the lumpectomy then that is super news; rest assured that if the margins are not clear then they will be back in there like Flynn to clear the margins.
By the way, I had immediate reconstruction using an LD flap with implant after my mastectomy and I am starting radiotherapy on 24th October - I know doctors differ so it's interesting that your doctor doesn't advocate it, maybe they are using an implant only?
Good luck Kazoo; for what it's worth, despite knowing that most times no further intervention is needed, I think it's fair to see that we all worry a little about recurrence. From what I can gather, as time goes on, that kind of fades away and real life kicks back in and takes over