People have asked me, "why a mastectomy?"
Two reasons:
Before I spoke to Karen, Dr. Frazier's surgical coordinator, I spoke to Jamie, a genetic counselor. She asked me a series of questions over the phone. Because my maternal grandmother had breast cancer, and 4 of my father's brothers died of cancer, there were 'red flags' during my interview.
Some inherited gene mutations increase breast cancer risk. BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer genes 1 and 2) are the best-known genes linked to breast cancer. People who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have an increased risk of breast cancer and (for women) ovarian cancer.
Most importantly, Dr. Frazier told me if I have a lumpectomy (where the tumor is removed only) followed by radiation treatments, there is a 17% risk that I may develop 'another' cancer.
Why live the rest of my life worrying that I may develop 'another' cancer?
With a mastectomy, there is a 1% chance that my cancer may come back.
There are no guarantees when it comes to cancer.
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