Second surgery

calderonjensen
calderonjensen Member Posts: 20
in Breast Cancer #1
Hello Everyone!
I'm back from a wonderful vacation in Norway! Thank God we were not there during the awful attacks and neither were our family and friends.
After three weeks of R&R, I'm back home and getting mentally ready for my second surgery.

Since no one knew my lump would be cancerous, the removal at the time was easy, quick, and raised no red flags.
Now that we know it was DCIS + invasive, and 1.5 cm, the Dr. needs to go back in and clean the margins plus remove a LN to have it biopsied.
I must admit that I'm a little more nervous than my first surgery mostly because I don't know what else he will find when he opens my breast.
The last MRI showed some possible LN concerns so he's checking that out.
My surgery is 8/1 then I have a meeting (8/8) with a different Oncologist who is also a Dr of Integrative Medicine to see what treatment he recommends. I want to have different opinions before making a decision.

Can any of you point me in the direction of recent research on the recurrence rate of cancer after a full mastectomy? I don't know if this is necessary but if recurrence is lessen by a mastectomy then I may want that as an option.
I will of course ask the doctors the same question, but I want to have some scientific research that I can point to when speaking with them.

I appreciate any research assistance you think I should be reading. I already went through this site and got lots of good general information.

Staying strong and positive!

Bye for now,

Connie Cal

Comments

  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #2
    Welcome back
    Connie...

    I don't know of any websites for you to read but I do recommend one book. Dr. Susan Love's "The Breast book" (5th edition, 2009). It's the bible and believe me you learn a ton of stuff, but make sure you get the most current edition as she says in the latest book research is constantly changing.

    Glad to hear you had a great visit in Norway and escaped the chaos over there. How tragic it all was though huh?

    Just wanted to chime in with the book recommendation,
    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    P.S. I got mine off of ebay
  • poplolly
    poplolly Member Posts: 346
    #3
    My oncologist told me that
    My oncologist told me that it lowers the risk of recurrence if you have a mastectomy. She said the reason is they could miss some cells if they just remove the lump. I have no research to back that up, but I wanted to let you know her view.


    Let us know how it goes,


    Lots of love,

    Judy
  • DebbyM
    DebbyM Member Posts: 3,289 Member
    #4
    poplolly said:

    My oncologist told me that
    My oncologist told me that it lowers the risk of recurrence if you have a mastectomy. She said the reason is they could miss some cells if they just remove the lump. I have no research to back that up, but I wanted to let you know her view.


    Let us know how it goes,


    Lots of love,

    Judy

    I am so sorry that you have
    I am so sorry that you have to even consider a 2nd surgery. I had a lumpectomy with rads and was told that the survival rate and the recurrence rate is the same as having a mastectomy. With a mastectomy, they can't remove all of your breast tissue, it is impossible.

    There have been recurrences with both, but, you just focus on never having one and making the right choice for you and you alone.

    Discuss this with your doctor and I know you will do what is best for you.


    Good luck,


    Debby
  • mollieb
    mollieb Member Posts: 148
    #5
    butterflylvr said:

    Welcome back
    Connie...

    I don't know of any websites for you to read but I do recommend one book. Dr. Susan Love's "The Breast book" (5th edition, 2009). It's the bible and believe me you learn a ton of stuff, but make sure you get the most current edition as she says in the latest book research is constantly changing.

    Glad to hear you had a great visit in Norway and escaped the chaos over there. How tragic it all was though huh?

    Just wanted to chime in with the book recommendation,
    Hugs,
    Lorrie

    P.S. I got mine off of ebay

    I agree completely about the
    I agree completely about the book recommendation. The latest edition of The Breast Book is September 2010.

    I think that for a long time research showed that a lumpectomy with treatment -- radiation and/or treatment, depending on the circumstances -- resulted in no significant difference in recurrence. I am not aware of anything more recent, but you are right, it's good to check.

    I have had both -- a lumpectomy seven years ago, then a mastectomy a year ago for a new tumor -- not a recurrence. All other things being equal, I prefer the lumpectomy. Since the new tumor showed up in the same breast, I suppose I could say I wouldn't have had the second cancer if I had a mastectomy from the start. But then I would have had all the extra troubles that come from a mastectomy for an extra six years.

    Let them look at your tumor and find out how aggressive it is. 1.5 cm is still pretty small. Only you can decide what will work for you in the long run, but arming yourself with information is a great way to start.

    You might call a nurse at the American Cancer Society. They can be really helpful.

    Mary
  • mollieb
    mollieb Member Posts: 148
    #6
    mollieb said:

    I agree completely about the
    I agree completely about the book recommendation. The latest edition of The Breast Book is September 2010.

    I think that for a long time research showed that a lumpectomy with treatment -- radiation and/or treatment, depending on the circumstances -- resulted in no significant difference in recurrence. I am not aware of anything more recent, but you are right, it's good to check.

    I have had both -- a lumpectomy seven years ago, then a mastectomy a year ago for a new tumor -- not a recurrence. All other things being equal, I prefer the lumpectomy. Since the new tumor showed up in the same breast, I suppose I could say I wouldn't have had the second cancer if I had a mastectomy from the start. But then I would have had all the extra troubles that come from a mastectomy for an extra six years.

    Let them look at your tumor and find out how aggressive it is. 1.5 cm is still pretty small. Only you can decide what will work for you in the long run, but arming yourself with information is a great way to start.

    You might call a nurse at the American Cancer Society. They can be really helpful.

    Mary

    Correction
    I meant "radiation and/or chemo." sorry.
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #7
    Welcome back Connie
    I had bilateral mastectomy (no lymph node involvement) followed by 6 rounds of Taxotere/Cytoxan and 28 rads. I'm the 5th in my family with bc. I'm currently taking Arimidex. My onc says everything I've done so far is to lower my risk of recurrence but it's always a possibility. So, I'm doing what I need to do for right now. Time will tell. Good luck in your own journey.
    {{hugs}} Char
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #8
    cahjah75 said:

    Welcome back Connie
    I had bilateral mastectomy (no lymph node involvement) followed by 6 rounds of Taxotere/Cytoxan and 28 rads. I'm the 5th in my family with bc. I'm currently taking Arimidex. My onc says everything I've done so far is to lower my risk of recurrence but it's always a possibility. So, I'm doing what I need to do for right now. Time will tell. Good luck in your own journey.
    {{hugs}} Char

    My two cents...
    Consulted 3 physicians and got the same answer....mastectomy provides no greater survival rates than a lumpectomy....as it is impossible to remove all breast tissue....of course there are always exceptions and such a personal decision....I had a lumpectomy 2 years ago....clean nodes, clean, clear margins...and now I have a recurrence....but NOT in the breast....but above my clavicle and in some other nodes...it would have been so much " easier" if it had reappeared in the breast....!

    I wish you well in making an informed decision based on your cancer and the advice of your physicians....I must add, my lumpectomy wasn't bad at all...had it at 1:00 and was home on the couch by 4:15, resting very comfortably! No sutures, even, my surgeon used glue....

    Best wishes and keep us posted..
    Nancy
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #9
    mollieb said:

    I agree completely about the
    I agree completely about the book recommendation. The latest edition of The Breast Book is September 2010.

    I think that for a long time research showed that a lumpectomy with treatment -- radiation and/or treatment, depending on the circumstances -- resulted in no significant difference in recurrence. I am not aware of anything more recent, but you are right, it's good to check.

    I have had both -- a lumpectomy seven years ago, then a mastectomy a year ago for a new tumor -- not a recurrence. All other things being equal, I prefer the lumpectomy. Since the new tumor showed up in the same breast, I suppose I could say I wouldn't have had the second cancer if I had a mastectomy from the start. But then I would have had all the extra troubles that come from a mastectomy for an extra six years.

    Let them look at your tumor and find out how aggressive it is. 1.5 cm is still pretty small. Only you can decide what will work for you in the long run, but arming yourself with information is a great way to start.

    You might call a nurse at the American Cancer Society. They can be really helpful.

    Mary

    I had a lumpectomy followed
    I had a lumpectomy followed by rads. I am very happy that I had this choice, as not all do.


    Best of luck to you,


    Jan

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