Should You Have a Mastectomy to Prevent Breast Cancer?

Modern women always have a fear of breast cancer. Whilst average woman has around 12% risk of getting affected with breast cancer, others have 85% chance of getting their life troubled with this menace. For women with high risk of breast cancer, fear is very much real, and most of them look to ways for lowering its risk.

An option, which some high-risk women considers for treating breast cancer, is prophylactic or preventive mastectomy. You may consider it, if you:

1-Are having cancers in one of your breasts and looking forward to remove the healthy breast for avoiding it to get affected too.

2-Are at high risk of breast cancer and looking forward to remove both breasts before it develops to advance and untreatable stage.

Mastectomy is a surgical procedure done for removing nearly all the tissues of your breast, where cancer may grow. This is, in no mean, a guarantee that you will not have breast cancer, as it’s impossible for taking out every bit of the tissue. However, experts have estimated that mastectomy can reduce the risk by almost 90%.

Some women find losing their breast for reducing risks of cancer to be beneficial. However, their choice cannot be clear cut. Various factors, which include women’s personal risk and their own feelings on the same, can affect the application of Mastectomy on their breasts.

Who Can Opt For Preventive Mastectomy?

You should opt for preventive mastectomy, if you know that you’re at high risk of breast cancer. You might be at high risks if:

1-You are sure that you have BRCA (breast cancer) gene change. You can find about BRCA by having a gene testing. Gene testing is generally done on women having a history of ovarian or/and breast cancer in their family.

2-You are having a history of breast cancers in your family. If any (or more than one) of your close family member (mother or sister) had breast cancer before, you are said to have a strong history. Risks are also considered high, if you are having both ovarian and breast cancer on any side of your family.

3-You are already having cancers in your breast. This means that there is a possibility of getting it on the other breast.

4-You have already been diagnosed with LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma in Situ). LCIS means that you are having abnormal cells in lobules (milk glands) of your breast. Experts classify it to be a pre-cancer or stage ‘0’ cancer. It might be increasing your risks of breast cancer. However, figures suggest that most women, who have been diagnosed with LCIS, do not get breast cancer.

5-Your chest has been exposed to radiation therapy before you were 30.

How Can I Make A Decision On Preventive Mastectomy?

Decision for having mastectomy to prevent cancer is a very personal one. To make the decision easy and right, it might help if you:

1-Consult your doctor or genetic counselors for getting a better idea of the risk involved.

2-Give consideration to your feelings. Some of us cannot imagine the thought of giving up our breasts, whereas others feel greater peace of mind covers up the loss.

3-Discuss this decision with the one, who are close to you. Suggestions from them can go a long way in helping you to decide.

However, you should always remember that it’s your body and it will always be your decision.



By: James S. Pendergraft

About the Author:

Kevin asked:


I think it’s bad how some women only care about breast cancer and don’t care about prostate cancer.

Some of them laugh at men who have prostate cancer.
Oh so women only care about breast cancer because they don’t want their breasts removed?

I thought women cared about breast cancer because it can cause death, wow this sure is news to me!!

kmbctv asked:

Two Salina Central High School seniors designed T-shirts to raise money for breast cancer awareness, but an assistant principal banned one of the designs from school. The shirts bear the phrase “Save 2nd Base” with a pair of baseballs over the wearers’ breasts. Officials said the shirts violate the district’s dress code, which bans clothing with an “implied indecent meaning.”

ÜTruffles_lover_Ü asked:


If your breasts got hit by a soccer ball really hard, would that be a possible lead to breast cancer? What actually causes breast cancer and how can you prevent it? Please be very detailed

Ms_Refractory asked:


I’ve looked as best as I could online; and have pretty much come up empty-handed as to any other causes for dimpling of the skin on breasts; besides cancer.

Are there any other conditions that could possibly cause this to happen?

cookie asked:


thing is my great grandma died of breast cancer, my nan got breast cancer but got rid of it. that makes my mum at risk of getting it. i was just wondering if i could potentially get breast cancer and at what age? im 14 now and i know i wont get it in like the next year, i might not get it at all, but i was just curious. also if i could potentially get breast cancer later in life would it be best ti get my breasts removed when im older to lessen the risk. thank you.

Paine asked:


I know you can start having breast cancer in your teen years i think i might have it i dont know because one of my breasts are bigger than the other and the nipple of the bigger one is harder than the other. I also ran a breast cancer check but i felt some lumps but i heard your breast isnt supposed to be all smooth and stuff im 13 almost 14 does anyone know how to tell if you do have breast cancer what is the proper check and how do u kno if a lump is a real one?

macey_brasil asked:


I am fourteen and my right breast is a b cup and my left is flat. My left breast has a rash that is in the area where the bottom of the bra is spreading to near below the ****** area. I’ve really been worrying. Could I have breast cancer? Or are my breasts still filling out and could the rash just be an allergic reaction?

Blank asked:


My boyfriend and i were play fighting. He accidentally punched my **** and I said, Hey! I could get breast cancer that way! I heard that somewhere, I just don’t really know if its true or not.

InvicibleStar asked:


Just saw a story on the Today Show about a woman who had, based on new genetic testing methods, an 85% chance of getting breast cancer and so she had her healthy breasts removed. Sounds sadomasochistic to me to do something like that when you are just as likely to die in accidents or other diseases and the testing is new so who knows if she would have gotten the disease. There was a history of breast cancer in her family but a history dosen’t mean you are going to have it, there is a history of everything in my family but the things I ended up suffering from nobody else had. Everyone is going to die anyway why chop up your body to try and avoid the eneventabtle?

These stories make me sick!
When I say these stories make me sick I mean that in the sense that I think they are gross not that I’m angry.