Mastectomy and Stage 4...preventative?
 

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has chosen to have a preventative mastectomy (unaffected breast) after they became stage 4? Is there a benefit to doing so if you are in this advanced stage and NED? Just trying to analyze my options. Thanks Ceesun

mastectomy
 

Hi Ceese
Women definitely have an "unaffected" breast removed as a precaution, but
I am not sure about your question regarding Stage 4. Hopefully one of the
"wise ones" will see your question and have an answer. Good luck on Thurs.

seek link posted 10/23....
 

just recently posted an article on this subject...which you may be interested in reading...I do not believe that it has a focus on stage 4, but rather primarialy on decisions women are making as a preventative measure. Hope this helps.

Kind Regards,
Jean

When first diag. I was going to have mastectomy on both sides ( I just didn't want to deal with b/c in the other breast if it recurred there), my surgeon recommed I didn't and I'm very glad I didn't. Being stage IV, which I am, after my mastectomy and treatments I started going to MD Anderson and seeing an onc. there, as well as seeing my onc. local. The first thing she said to me was why did I have a mastectomy being stage IV, and that blew my mind. (I mentioned that to my surgeon and she said it was for the best because of the multiple tumors I had) so I told her because I needed one? She had said since I was stage IV it wasn't necessary. That was the first time I had ever had someone tell me that. Appearently the treatments will get to all the mets in your body including the breast.

Hope I made sense, I still feel I have chemo brain.

Good luck.

I'm Stage IV, too -no prophylactic mastectomy for me either
 

Hi~
I'm Stage IV & have been since my primary dx in May 2002.
I initially had a L lumpectomy for the original primary tumor & weeks-years,actually-of chemo to get to the mets in my liver under control.Finally, after a liver resection, my liver is NED x 2yrs!
I did eventually have a L mastectomy, b/c 8 weeks after my liver resection, a 1cm malignant nodule popped up in my breast again & mammo's showed lots of calcifications again. The last thing I wanted was for that local disease to progress and grow and invade my liver again!
My surgical onc also discouraged me from doing a prophylactic mastectomy on the R b/c 'cutting away healthy tissue wouldn't effect my survival prognosis or prevent the bigger problem of distal met from recurring.'
I know that some BC types (lobular?i think, i really don't know) are more likely than others to occur bilaterally & that might be a just reason to pursue a prophylactic mastec on the unaffected side.
But as a Stage IV'er, I'm far more concerned about my liver & every other distal organ that mets like to live & grow than disease in my breasts!Treating local disease feels far less threatening & scary.
I've even recently had a recurrence to 2 supraclavicular nodes, which is a bummer, but my immediate reaction was "But how's my LIVER!!??"
Also, with all the speculation of how surgery & general anesthesia affects dormant, stable micromets, possibly "waking them up" & causing the disease to grow & progress again, why put yourself at risk?
Ultimately, if you feel a prophylactic mastectomy will provide you more peace of mind, then you must do what you feel compelled to do.

Hope my perspective is helpful to you~
Take good care,
jessica

I only had a lumpectomy on the effected breast. I guess they figured if it came back in the breast, that would be the least of my problems, as long as it didn't come back in a major organ. Since I am scanned so often, I don't worry too much about it coming back in the breast. Sometimes I wish I would have just had them whacked off because I really can't stand my breasts now. I actually HATE them sometimes, don't like them touched or anything. I know this is bad and something I need to work through...sherryg