Lumpectomy & radiation vs. Bilateral Mascectomy

G696 · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 5

Dear Ladies,
I am very new to this & trying to get a handle on my situation. I have DCIS through a stereotactic core biopsy (high & medium) They think most or all of calcification is out.
Small 2mm & 5 mm out of 7 samples. One surgeon told me lumpectomy or wider excision & 6 weeks of radiation & tamoxofin or other drug. 7 years ago, my other breast had low grade LCIS. Is a lumpectomy an out patient procedure - under local
annesthesia?
Many of you had stated you had a double mascectomy and immediate reconstruction. Does that mean that no drugs or treatment is given afterwards? How long is hospital stay? Do they use your breast skin? How are results? Do they have to take nodes & arms get swollen (like in past) or how long is recupperation? Please give me some feedback - I am thinking of genetic testing (no breast cancer in my family - sister, mother, grandmother) I am seeing another NY surgeon & need to know before my appointment. Thanks for the help.

Cindy · Senior User Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 178

[quote="G696"]Dear Ladies,
I am very new to this & trying to get a handle on my situation. I have DCIS through a stereotactic core biopsy (high & medium) They think most or all of calcification is out.
Small 2mm & 5 mm out of 7 samples. One surgeon told me lumpectomy or wider excision & 6 weeks of radiation & tamoxofin or other drug. 7 years ago, my other breast had low grade LCIS. Is a lumpectomy an out patient procedure - under local
annesthesia?
Many of you had stated you had a double mascectomy and immediate reconstruction. Does that mean that no drugs or treatment is given afterwards? How long is hospital stay? Do they use your breast skin? How are results? Do they have to take nodes & arms get swollen (like in past) or how long is recupperation? Please give me some feedback - I am thinking of genetic testing (no breast cancer in my family - sister, mother, grandmother) I am seeing another NY surgeon & need to know before my appointment. Thanks for the help.[/quote]

Hi G. I'm sure you have probably gotten your answers, by now, but if not:

1. A lumpectomy is generally done under general anesthesia. It is usually an outpatient procedure.

2. With double mastectomy and immediate recon, you still go through normal treatment. You are just trying to reduce the chance of recurrence. I had double mastectomies with immediate DIEP reconstruction. I would not have had it any other way. Prior to the surgery, I had a lumpectomy (margins were not clear), rads and chemo. Hospital stay depends on the procedure. With DIEP, I was in the hospital for 5 days. With implants, you may be looking at a couple days, if that.

3. I had skin-sparing mastectomies, where they kept my breast skin and just filled it with the tissue from my abdomen. The results are that my breasts look and feel like normal breast. No one would ever guess that I do not have my original breasts.

4. They took 17 of my nodes at the time of the lumpectomy, and three were positive. I have never had any swelling of my arm (lymphedema).

5. Recoop for me was 8 weeks. I went back to work at 7 weeks but that 8th week made all the difference in the world. I am not young. I went through the surgery at age 51, almost 52. No spring chicken.

Good luck.
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