If tumors in a breast can be removed while leaving enough breast tissue intact, women do not need to have a mastectomy.
- If several tumors are present in the same breast, a mastectomy, the aim of which is to remove the entire organ, is generally proposed.
- For these patients, non-conservative breast surgery can be avoided if the tumors are removed while leaving enough breast tissue intact.
- After having a lumpectomy, the recurrence rate, which is 3.1%, is similar to that of women with a single tumor in one breast.
Mastectomy is a non-conservative breast surgery, which involves removing the entire breast in which a tumor is located. This operation, performed under general anesthesia, is considered when the tumor is too large compared to the size of the breast. According the National Cancer Institute, it is also proposed when the shape of the tumor or the location of the tumor makes conservative surgery impossible. Another scenario: “several tumors are present in the same breast”.
204 patients underwent breast-conserving surgery
Recently, researchers at the Mayo Clinic suggested that women with multiple tumors in one breast may avoid mastectomy. In order to reach this conclusion, they carried out a study published in the journal Journal of Clinical Oncology. To carry out their work, they recruited 270 women suffering from breast cancer. Among them, 204 patients, aged over 40, had two or three tumors in one breast and were interested in lumpectomy.
This is breast-conserving surgery. This last “Consists of removing the tumor with a margin of healthy tissue surrounding it so as to retain most of your breast. (…) It is possible when the tumor is single (or when two foci are close) and sufficiently small in relation to the size of the breast, in particular to allow it to be completely removed with a sufficient margin of healthy tissue around it and with a satisfactory aesthetic result”, precise the National Cancer Institute.
As part of the research, all participants had a preoperative mammogram and/or ultrasound and most underwent a breast MRI to ensure that the disease was not more extensive. The volunteers underwent lumpectomy, followed by whole-breast irradiation and enhanced irradiation at each lumpectomy site. The women were followed for five years to determine subsequent events related to breast cancer.
Multi-tumour breast cancer: 3.1% recurrence rate after lumpectomy
After a follow-up of approximately 66 months, six patients had a local recurrence, the rate was 3.1%. “This is an excellent result, similar to the local recurrence rate in patients with a single tumor in one breast who received breast-conserving therapy,” said Judy Boughey, a breast surgical oncologist and study author, in a statement. Another finding: the rate of local recurrence was lower in patients who had performed a preoperative MRI than in those who did not.
According to the results, patients who have multiple tumors in one breast could avoid mastectomy if the tumors can be removed while leaving enough breast tissue intact. “I am delighted with these results as they will allow patients and the multidisciplinary care teams caring for them to consider this option for women who wish to preserve their breast. Some patients may still prefer or require a mastectomy, and “It’s a perfectly acceptable approach. But being able to offer a choice to more patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer is a big step forward.” concluded Judy Boughey.
