Prophylactic Mastectomies

  I have written before about the increasing incidence of prophylactic bilateral mastectomies for women with early breast cancer who "only" need surgery on one side. It is terrifying to hear the cancer word, and most of us are frantic to do whatever we can to protect ourselves now and to insure our future good health. For some women, that translates to a strong wish to "get rid" of the other breast, a possible source of another crisis in the future. It may not be soothing to be told that the future risk of a second cancer in the other breast is very small, about 1% per year, and that breast cancer almost never goes to the other breast. The worries of cancer spreading are that it might metastisize to another part of the body; removing the second breast does nothing to minimize that risk. Read more... Comments (0)

New Techniques for Lymphedema

  The really good news is that more attention is being paid to lymphedema and surgeons are increasingly willing to acknowledge that it happens, and that women should be educated about the possibilities even prior to surgery. The not so good news is that it continues to happen, that it is impossible to predict who will develop this problem, and that it is treatable, but not curable. The statistics re incidence are all over the place, so no one seems to really know how many women have been affected. Read more... Comments (0)

Radiation after Reconstruction

  It is extremely difficult to make a decision about reconstruction. Women who need or opt for a mastectomy are then faced with the choice of whether or not to have reconstruction surgery--and, if so, which kind to choose. I always recommend that a woman talk with more than one plastic surgeon, no matter how highly recommended and respected the first was. Different plastic surgeons frequently make different recommendations, and it is wise to have as much information as possible. If both suggest the same surgery, that makes the decision a bit easier. I digress, however as this article is about the possible risk of having radiation therapy after reconstruction, and that is often an unknown factor at the time of surgical choice. Read more... Comments (0)

Lymphedema

  Lymphedema, arm or hand swelling after removal of axillary lymph nodes, is a major concern for many women. The risk is higher for women who have a full axillary dissection, rather than "just" a sentinel node dissection, and higher still for women who had the larger surgery and then radiation therapy. However, even for those women (and I am one), the actual incidence is rather low. It seems impossible to pin down any well documented or exact figures re the rate of lymphedema; the reported numbers vary so widely that it is almost funny. What is not disputed is that this is a serious problem for affected women. Read more... Comments (0)

The Scar Project

  I was aware of this project but am grateful to Susan Gubar's essay for reminding me about it. No one gets through cancer without scars--some are larger and more visible than others, but we all have them. The Scar Project (http://thescarproject,org) is an astonishing collection of beautiful photographs of young women who have had mastectomies. Its' subtitle, "Breast Cancer is Not a Pink Ribbon" makes me like it even more. Read more... Comments (0)