BREAST CANCER COMMUNITY
Third surgery for stage 0 DCIS

Third surgery for stage 0 DCIS

I had a lumpectomy 9/10/10 to remove DCIS in right breast. The pathology report showed 2mm margins except for a small area was 1mm. The mammogram on 10/12/10 showed some calcifications in the 1mm margin area. They won't do the radiation that was planned. The radiologist oncologist and surgeon say I have to have another surgery to remove the calcifications to be sure they are not DCIS. Because this would be the 3rd incision in the right breast and near the nipple, the surgeon feels another incision will leave me with a poor cosmetic result. The surgeon thinks mastectomy with reconstruction is the best option (cosmetically). Now I'm searching for the right plastic surgeon. Met with one who's before & after photos did not impress me. I'm meeting with another next week. My question is this:
Because they can't definitively say I have more DCIS to be removed, it may just be "calcifications", why can't
I forget surgery and take a "wait & see" approach. What if these calcifications are not DCIS and I lose my breast over this. I'm going to ask my Dr. but I wanted to run it by you first.
Thanks for your time and thoughts.
Faithhorn 12
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I'm not sure how long you would mean to "wait and see" but I personally wouldn't refuse any number of surgeries to obtain "clean" margins. I'm also not sure what advantage would give you to wait .... only with surgery or another biopsy would you know the pathology of this area. The decision of course is yours and yours alone so take your time and explore all the alternatives.   Best wishes .....
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I know there is no wait & see but I really don't want a mastectomy. The bill I just got from the hospital said I had a "partial mastectomy." Is a lumpectomy and mastectomy the same thing? My surgeon called it a "re-excision".  I am going for a 2nd opinion about the pathology report and surgery at another hospital to see if they agree that a mastectomy is necessary. Then I'll know I did everything possible to save my breast.
Thank you for your speedy replies and helpful feedback.
faithhorn12
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