Options - no clear margin after lumpectomy

Hi Jane - sorry to hear that.  I had a large 120mm tumour on the left and a 40mm one on the right.  I had a mastectomy and a lumpectomy, but to be perfectly honest, I wish I had had a bilateral mastectomy, if only for peace of mind.  I have to have radiotherapy on both sides anyway. 

Hi Jane,

It is good that you’ve been given options.

I had a 2nd excision 8 years ago after no clear margins on left breast, until recently I thought they’d got clear margin on 2nd attempt, they didn’t but I had 15 radiotherapy plus 5 boost and no recurrence on that side so far. I now waiting to see whether the op I had on right breast 2 weeks ago will have clear margins. I couldn’t have reduction and lift and they were concerned the left having had previous radiotherapy it wouldn’t enable me to have same surgery on left to match.

So my ideas for questions would be:- will they continue to 3rd/4th attempts or just offer you radiotherapy? How long would you have to wait for surgery on other breast to match if you chose breast reduction or mastectomy?

Good luck with decisions and your surgery. 

Thank you for your thoughts. Good luck with your results. 

Hi

I had lumpectomy , no clear margins and two cavity chest shaves to get clear margins (mine also was not visible) no clear margins so chemotherapy (not because of the margins) and then mastectomy afterwards. Mastectomy showed no cancer left , so although there was no clear margin on the last cavity shave it had got all the cancer. 

Just from my own experience , if you can keep your own breast that is the best possible solution , I knew I didn’t want to go flat after the mastectomy, and ended up with two different  reconstructions (if you click on my name you can read my story) No reconstruction can match your real breast . So have a really hard think about what you want , and try not just to focus on getting the cancer out , although that is obviously the most important thing, but also the reality of living either with a reconstructed breast or going flat on one side , surgeons are very reluctant to remove a healthy breast so that is not an option for most women.

I didn’t need radiotherapy, so know that should I ever have a recurrence that is still a possible treatment for me , so I would ask if that is something which you will need after the mastectomy , what reconstruction you would be offered, and what their own success rate is with your situation ? 

Good luck with your decision

Jo x

Thank you - some things to think about there. I’m big chested so going flat on one side would make me very imbalanced.