ditto on what the other ladies have said...years ago mastectomies were the only option women had...we now have more options...the type of BC you have, the size, the location, etc is what usually makes the the decision mast vs lump...also, some old surgeons are not up on the latest treatments so elect to do a mast because that's all they know...I would definitely get a 2nd and 3rd opinion before making your decisions...and yes, I've read where surgery cannot remove ALL breast tissue so no guarantee on recurrence or not with a mast....
My surgeon was a breast specialist and very up-to-date on the latest recommendations...although my tumor was large (5cm)...he seems to opt for lumpectomies because he seemed to be empathetic to how emotionally stressful losing a breast was for a women and seemed to want to save them if possible (I didn't care, I said "lop it off" if it meant I would live)....I had chemo 1st to shrink the the tumor, then got a lumpectomy...I have since read that lumpectomies with radiation were as effective as a mastectomy....the surgery was very easy, I was done as an outpatient within 1-2 hrs, and had very little pain, discomfort was relieved with ice packs and some Advil...I did have radiation after and considered that the easiest part of the treatment...you just lay there for 10 min 5 days a week for 6 weeks...the only problem was some skin burning the last week but they gave me some cream and it quickly healed once treatment ended...i was glad to get radiation because I was told surgery & chemo cannot kill all the cancer cells, and the radiation kills what was missed...the radiologist told me radiation lowers your risk for recurrence from 30% down to 5 %...so it was a no-brainer for me....the only lasting side effect for me is fatigue but that comes & goes...if I'm extra tired, I just rest when needed....
everyone responds differently to treatment so I just gave you my perspective to give you info to think about...but definitely get other opinions, ask questions, and make the best decision for you...keep us posted
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