Why don't women just have a mastectomy when they find out they have breast cancer?

Question

Kinda like the old question,

Would you rather have _____ or your life? The obviously question is "your life", but many women choose other treatments in this case.

Obviously women don't want to lose their boob, but is the chance of dying worth the risk?

Answer 1

Larry, here's what my surgeon said: a big tumor in the breast never killed anyone. It's the tumor cells that break off and find a new home in a vital organ (lung, liver, brain) ... that's what kills people with breast cancer.

So "just having a mastectomy" only removes the primary tumor. Sometimes, even when there is no sign of distant metastatis, there are still tumor cells circulating in the blood/lymphatic system.

So they want to treat me with chemo first. And this is the surgeon's recommendation, who makes her living doing surgery. Chemo will do its best to kill the primary tumor, freely circulating cancer cells, and others that have started micrometastases elsewhere.

It's not instead of surgery. It's before surgery.

Personally I find the chemo more intimidating than surgery. But I'll do it anyway. Because I had plans for the next 20-30 years, and I'll be dammed if I'll let cancer mess up those plans.

Answer 2

sometimes mastectomys are not an option for women wiht breast cancer beacuse of inoperablity. so other treatments would not need to be done. Also some breat cancer patients only NEED to have a lumpectomy. Regardless of what they choose if they go wwith a lumpetcomy or a mastectomy they will still need chemo and radiation. So sometimesif women go wiht a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy the risk of "dying" really is the same.

Answer 3

I would definitely have a mastectomy if I had breast cancer. Alot of women would rather chance taking out just the mass and go thru chemo, but the cancer has a bigger chance of returning. My cousin had cancer (different kinds) in her breasts. She had a full mastectomy. And at the same time, empty saline bags were transplanted. As she healed, saline was inserted each visit until she got em as big as she wanted em. The nipples were removed also because her doc said after a mastectomy, they tend to shrivel. She recently had nipples tattooed. She's cancer free and looks great!

Answer 4

Mastectomy isn't automatically the surgery option recommended by a woman's medical team; many women have a lumpectomy where their medical team advise that this is the best course of action in their case.

The 'other treatments' are not INSTEAD of mastectomy or lumpectomy, they are usually in addition to it. I had chemo and radiotherapy after my mastectomy, and four years later still take a hormone tablet daily.

A mastectomy is not an automatic and complete cure for breast cancer; many women who have had a mastectomy have recurrences or develop secondary cancer. And many die.

I know know a lot of women who have had or have breast cancer, and I don't know any who refused surgery. Individual women who were recommended to have a mastectomy have different reactions; I know several whose attitude was 'I don't care what you have to do, just get rid of the cancer', and others like me who found it extremely difficult to face up to and mourned the impending loss of their breast. I went ahead and had the mastectomy, but that is in no way a guarantee that I will not have recurrences and/or metastases in the future.

Answer 5

Just because you have breast cancer, doesn't mean lopping off the breast is the cure to it. If that were the case, then there would be a lot more breastless women around. It just isn't that simple.

Answer 6

Most do, yet they still need chemo because the cancer can be inside the breast muscle, which can't be removed surgically without serious effects to movement.

You must also remember the chemo doesn't just mean killing cancer, it also means causing permanent irreprable infertility. There is nothing like knowing you can't carry or give birth to a child to make a woman feel less like a woman.

Answer 7

Finding the right information on breast cancer can prove very helpful in understanding the disease. Take a look at Your Total Health - it has the most up-to-date, medically reviewed information around!

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/breast-cancer

Answer 8

For whatever reason the Dr. often does not want to do that. My daughter has BC and has begged them to "cut it off" because the treatments are so hard on her. They tell her not at this time.

Answer 9

I totally agree but the same goes with men and prostate cancer. I've known two that died because they didn't want to lose out on having intercourse.

Answer 10

Think of it this way. If you got testicular cancer or penile cancer, would you just say "well, just chop it off." Or would you try something else first?
You know the answer.