Politics? Friend Had Mastectomy After Stage 4 Diagnosis

[Binkie]

My best friend had a false negative mammogram 4 years before she passed away. Two years later she was dx Stage IV . Her onc obviously knew that, at Stage IV (mets to the lung)she was terminal but she had every treatment imaginable for the next
2 years anyway. The first year of treatment seemed to be easy;
the second year was disastrous: her port was constantly infected but they could not find any veins in her arm, she developed some disease from treatment where her entire head and face swelled,
a staph infection, mets to the bones, spine then brain...constant hospitalizations then Hospice care.
Why did the onc insist on a mastectomy after her dx? She cried over this but thought it was life-saving. Months after her mast.
she asked her onc if she could be cured and he said "no." Is this behavior by the medical establishment a Law, a way to keep your job, mandatory to satisfy their health insurance company or what is the motive here? Seems inhumane IMO.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Binkie, I am sorry to hear of your friend's death and your loss.  I know how heartbreaking it is to see a loved one go through so much.  

Surgery is generally limited to a biopsy to prove the diagnosis and tumor cell type, as well as provide hormone receptor levels, when dealing with Stage IV breast cancer.  The primary tumor may have to be treated with surgery or radiation therapy, but this problem is generally overshadowed by the need to control metastasis.  I do not know the reasons for her surgeon's recommendation for mastectomy with the presence of known metastatic disease.  It may be that the metastasis was not discovered until after the surgery?  The goal of treatment of metastatic breast cancer is to control the disease and symptoms for as long as possible.  For some this can be for a number of years with a relatively good quality of life.

[Binkie]

The metastasis was discovered on her first visit.  She could See the lump, she called me and told me she had stage 4 bc "and it has spread to my lung." Then they did a biopsy and it broke the needle (why a biopsy)?? Couple weeks later she was crying and said they were going to do the mastec. She died at age 50, 2 years later leaving two young sons from a horrible divorce situation. She had that "family history" that many say doesn't matter. I wanted to tell her the mastec was unneccessary but I just couldn't. They assured her they were going to "catch it right now." Makes me almost ill remembering it. I found out it was a Teaching Hospital. People need to be informed that in one of those you have interns gazing at your procedures and at you!
Thanks for all you do.