Lumpectomy? Mastectomy? What Is A Girl To Do?
When I was first diagnosed, I thought that my best chance of survival required that I take the most aggressive measures and began preparing myself for a bilateral mastectomy. But, one conversation with my breast surgeon changed my mind. In fact, she had to literally talk me out of it.
Breast tissue, she explained, is integrated into other upper body tissue, without a clear line of demarcation. So, there is no fool-proof surgical solution. However, by showing me numerous studies on recurrence rates for my stage, grade, and flavor of tumor, she convinced me that the likelihood that my breast cancer would come back with either surgical approach was the same, about 4%.
Breast oncology has come a long way. After studying hundreds of thousands of women, new diagnostics and treatment plans can produce a pretty predictable outcome. My plan involved removing the two-centimeter (.8 inch) tumor by a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy, a form of “breast conserving” surgery. This was followed with internal, high-dose radiation and drug therapy to block estrogen.
Based on where I am in my life and the medical recommendations of three breast cancer specialists, this was the right choice for me. But every woman is different.
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