This is such a misleading article and really, REALLY irresponsible journalism. Like Vicky above, I was diagnosed with BC in 2012. I had a bi-lateral mastectomy in December for similar reasons to what Vicky lists.
What is irresponsible about the article is that it states that women who have lumpectomies are 14% more likely to survive than women who have mastectomies. There is a simple reason for that, but the report completely neglects to mention it and it leaves the reader with the idea that mastectomies are more risky than lumpectomies. It's pure rubbish - it is not the type of operation that affects survival rates but the underlying cancer necessitating the operation! The reason why women who have lumpectomies have a higher survival rate is because more than likely, their tumors are of a small enough size where the removal can be done at the local site and followed by radiation. With larger tumors or more aggressive cancers where there is activity involving the lymph nodes, lumpectomy is not an option. Those women will be presented with one option: mastectomy. Of course those women with larger tumors (and subsequently higher Staging) or more aggressive cancers have a greater risk of dying from the disease, which is what explains the 14% higher survival rate with lumpectomy, not the operation itself!
I had a choice and chose to do everything I could to prevent this from ever coming back at the local level. Women need to be given the choice because they are the ones who have to live with their decisions for as many days as they have time left on this planet.
My mother had early stage breast cancer in the early 90's. She wanted a simple mastectomy bur her surgeon talked her out of it; he said that was "overkill". So she elected to have a lumpectomy, against her better judgment/intuition. After the lumpectomy had healed she had radiation. She took Tomoxicin the recommended 5 yrs. Almost exactly when she quit the Tomoxicin after the 5 yrs was up, the breast cancer came back in the very same lumpectomy spot. When she went back to the same surgeon she told him they should have done a mastectomy in the first place like she wanted. The surgeon performed the mastectomy & she came through it & recovered with flying colors. We deducted the medical establishment doesn't really care about the anguish each procedure causes; they want you coming back to rake in more more money for more procedures!!! Very Sincerely, Colleen
I wish that you had taken the time to tell about which breast cancer victims can have the lumpectomy vs the mastectomy. I was diagonised in Dec. 2012 with DCIS, had a lumpectectomy in Jan. 2013, did not get it all, now I am scheduled for a simple mastectomey with breast reconstruction on Feb. 12. The lumpectomy did not get all of the DCIS and radiation would not have either. I am wondering how many women out there that heard that last night were questioniong their decisions to have a mastectomy. I received several e-mails and phone calls from my friends who know what I have been going through. I am thankful that I did a lot more reaserach than you did and know that having the mastectomy is the only way to save my life. I am hoping that women across the world reach out and let you know you should have taken a little more time to discuss this, when breast cancer treatments are mentioned on TV, I know women across the world pay close attention in hopes that there is a cure to save people like me from having to go through what I have already been through and then what I have coming up in two weeks from today. Sincerely, Vicky
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What is irresponsible about the article is that it states that women who have lumpectomies are 14% more likely to survive than women who have mastectomies. There is a simple reason for that, but the report completely neglects to mention it and it leaves the reader with the idea that mastectomies are more risky than lumpectomies. It's pure rubbish - it is not the type of operation that affects survival rates but the underlying cancer necessitating the operation! The reason why women who have lumpectomies have a higher survival rate is because more than likely, their tumors are of a small enough size where the removal can be done at the local site and followed by radiation. With larger tumors or more aggressive cancers where there is activity involving the lymph nodes, lumpectomy is not an option. Those women will be presented with one option: mastectomy. Of course those women with larger tumors (and subsequently higher Staging) or more aggressive cancers have a greater risk of dying from the disease, which is what explains the 14% higher survival rate with lumpectomy, not the operation itself!
I had a choice and chose to do everything I could to prevent this from ever coming back at the local level. Women need to be given the choice because they are the ones who have to live with their decisions for as many days as they have time left on this planet.
Very Sincerely, Colleen
Sincerely, Vicky