Triple negative breast cancer - lumpectomy vs mastectomy

FormerMember over 5 years ago

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Hi, I'm new to the forum.

I was diagnosed with grade 3 stage 2b tnbc a month ago, currently living in Hong Kong so having chemo here. Moving back to the UK in Jan and will have my op and radiation therapy there. I'm 47 with a 10 month old.

My tumour was 2.5cm and has spread to one or two lymph nodes but no further according to PET scan. Ultrasound last week shows tumour is now 1.5cm which is great news. I'm told that means I can have a lumpectomy instead of mastectomy, especially as my brca tests have come back negative. To be honest my feeling at the moment is that I just want a double mastectomy as I'm so scared of it returning if I do manage to get rid of it. My doctor says there's practically no difference in survival rates for lumpectomy vs mastectomy.

Would be very grateful for any thoughts or advice. I will, of course, speak to my UK doctor about this - just in the process of trying to find a surgeon.

Thanks.

Londonmumof2 over 5 years ago

Hi @claire19

If you are looking for a surgeon in the NHS do you know that NICE give you the right to choose where to be treated? It doesn't even have to be in the town/ city that you will be moving to. If is in your nodes did you also have staging scams? These are routine in the UK once there is any nodal involvement, and usually involve CT Chest and torso scans and a full body bone scan. Depending on the hospital there might be a slightly longer wait for surgery if you want more complex surgery, or decide on a mastectomy like DIEP which requires 2 surgeons, but as yours is not delayed reconstruction you are likely be more or less top of the list. That would be for a mastectomy though, and is unlikely they'd agree to an elective double mastectomy without a genetic link.

Most private surgeons also work on the NHS as well as vice versa. My NHS one does, as do most of the others across the three hospitals in the trust. You can look for feedback on sites like Doctify for surgeons you might be interested in, as well as googling them.

Anyway, welcome and good luck!

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Stephen Hawking,

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Triple negative breast cancer - lumpectomy vs mastectomy