Re-excision

Hi, i'm new too. I'm 54 and had a lumpectomy 2 weeks ago. Results today said margins were not clear too. I am having another lumpectomy on the 30th May so fingers crossed they get it all this time. On the positive my lymph nodes were all clear.

Hi Jubbly Bubbly, I'm glad to hear that your lymph nodes were all clear, mine were to, thankfully.'I had a feeling at the consultation that my surgeon was pushing me toward a mastectomy. I'm guessing it was due to the type of cancer involved. All a bit of a surprise as they seemed so positive about the outcome before the op.

Good luck for you surgery on 30th x

I was going to ask what was surgeons view!  I was initially offered a reduction if good boob as they thought I would be unbalanced after my lumpectomy but left me to think about!  I had decided no but when I went back to see surgeon she had changed her mind as she had decided that cosmetically she could get a good result and as it happens both my boobs look the same I just have a dent.

So if your surgeon leaning towards mastectomy is it because he thinks you will be lopsided after another lumpectomy rather than concern over type of cancer ?  

Hi Grogg, thank you for your reply. The surgeon said that she could just take a bit more off the side that didn't have a clear margin but this still wouldn't have as good a cosmetic result as my initial lumpectomy, as it would leave a bit more of a dent. Her main concern was that the cancer turned out not to be one mass but a collection of smaller pockets. This could mean that the margins may not be clear even if she takes some more away and in 6 weeks time I would be back to having a discussion about a mastectomy. So although the cosmetic result forms part of the argument for for a mastectomy, it mainly down to the fact that the type of cancer is making it hard to predict where the margins might be.

It's just left me in a bit of shock because I'd been so certain that my treatment path was going to be lumpectomy, radiotherapy then hormone therapy. I'm wondering if it worth taking a chance at re-excision x

Hi,

I ‘only‘ had DCIS, but it was quite widespread. Like you, I was surprised the first lumpectomy didn’t work. After a lot of thinking, I had a second lumpectomy, which also didn’t work, but at least it meant when I had the mastectomy I knew that was the only option. Looking back, I’m still glad I tried the second time.

Good luck with your decision. 

Hi, thank you for sharing your experience. It's really helpful to have a bit more knowledge when making such a big decision. I was feeling a bit lost. It also helps to know that others have been through a similar experience, makes me feel a bit less isolated. I really appreciate your response,  thank you x

Hi

Just to add my experience to this .... I had a lumpectomy with no clear margins, due to extensive DCIS which was amongst the cancer. It hadn’t shown up on anything so the surgeon had to do the re-excision “blind” , still no clear margins so had a third op. Not enough clear margins for that op so had a mastectomy with an immediate implant. What I would say is that your own breast is far superior to any reconstruction,  I have a reminder of the whole process, and almost three years since diagnosis would like to be able to properly move on, except every time I see myself in the mirror I see nonnipple and a very odd “breast” Don’t get me wrong, I am perfectly fine 99% of the time, just those few times when I see myself. 

I didn’t need radiotherapy as I had had a mastectomy, so that is a factor to consider that you may be in the same position - but deciding on reconstruction is very hard, however many women choose to stay flat , as did my mum, so you really have to weigh up the pros and cons for you.

just as an aside when I had the pathology results of the mastectomy there was no trace of cancer or DCIS, so the last op had worked .....

Try and read up as much as you can on reconstruction and if possible speak to your BCN so that you have the best information for your decision.

best of luck

Jo

Hi Jo,

Thank you for letting me know your experience of this. I am very grateful to have more information on which to base my decision. I was a bit thrown by the news that my surgeon gave me at my consultation and didn't really take a lot of it in after that, so I will definitely get back in contact with my BCN and do more research into reconstruction.

Thank you once again for taking the time to help me with my decision. x 

Just wanted to add that I would definitely try a second excision, I had 2 before they even mentioned a mastectomy to me. As Jo said, if you can keep your breast then It’s worth a try. I wish I’d been able to keep mine, my reconstructed breast looks quite good but it feels weird even a year further down the line x

Thank you Millie2018, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with me. It's really helpful to hear your thoughts on this x