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Concerns about Breast Cancer Family History Questions on genetics, family history & breast cancer. |
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| 2/2/2011 | I was just diagnosed with Stage 1 infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the left breast. Cells are positive for ER(vias score 86%) and negative for PR(0) and Her2(vias score 1+). I have seen a breast surgeon who is recommending a lumpectomy followed by 6 weeks of radiation 2x a day. I have also seen a plastic surgeon for his recommendations about reconstruction. He told me you have to have chemo whether you have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. That is not what my breast surgeon told me. I have an appt with the oncologist on Monday. I am overwhelmed and confused. My mother had breast cancer at 68 and had a mastectomy. That was in 1987. I am afraid to have the lumpectomy because of possible recurrence. However, I have also been told the survival rate is the same for either procedure. I am so confused about which way to go. | ||
| Replied | JHU's Breast Center Reply | ||
| 2/2/2011 | let's step back a moment and think this through... Stage 1 is early breast cancer. lumpectomy is the most common treatment for stage 1 from a surgical perspective. risk of local recurrence is usually 10-15%. If you need chemo it is totally unrelated to the type of surgery you do. chemo is given to address any cancer cells that might have traveled elsewhere in the body and want to grow giving you metastatic breast cancer. there is a low incidence of this happening however for someone with stage 1 breast cancer. radiation if given for 6 weeks is not given twice a day but given once a day monday through friday. there are also other radiation regimens as well, such as a 3 weeks radiation regimen too for women having lumpectomy for stage 1 breast cancer. it would be premature to be seeing a medical oncologist because that doctor needs the pathology results from the surgery to give you any definitive recommendations. | ||
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