SMALL study - vacuum excision procedure

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I am new on this forum. I have got invasive ductal carcinoma and my treatment starts tomorrow at Royal Marsden Hospital.  

As it is 10mm only I have been offered participation in SMALL clinical trial and randomised to the vacuum excision under local anesthetic instead of the standard protocol lumpectomy and lymph nodes removal.

Anyone has experience of this new procedure? If yes, could you share it perhaps? What happened afterwards?

Thank you.

  • Only seen it on YouTube.  Sounds interesting.  Would need to research it.

    Barbara 

  • I have had this procedure at London Bridge hospital . Ummm , brace yourself it’s not pleasant however, recovery is quick and my bruising was absolutely minimal .

    If I knew what I know now I would have asked for a sedative before . Something like diazepam or a Valium . I know there is a lot of negativity toward these drugs but still , I do believer there is a place for them and I would have preferred to of had the option .

    Penelope 

  • So I had it. Started developing a bruise during the procedure so quickly that the specialist wanted to stop half way. She has not; however the result is undetermined as it is not possible to see anything on a mammogram due to the huge hematoma.

    One thing I do not understand is why I has asked repeatedly whether I take aspirin or blood thinning medicines and nobody asked me beforehand whether I bruise easily.  The specialist performing VAE asked just before doing the excision. By which time it was late to refuse.

    I might end up having the operation after all.

  • Snap! I’m having a deeper removal under general on the 3rd January . So that horrible procedure was all for nothing .

    Penelope x