The most common reason for having a mastectomy is to treat a breast cancer. This is called a ‘therapeutic’ mastectomy. You can read about the different types of mastectomies here.
A ‘prophylactic’ or ‘risk reducing’ mastectomy is the removal of a ‘normal’ breast. If done at the same time as treatment of a breast cancer on the other side, it is called a “contralateral prophylactic mastectomy”. Some women decide to have a prophylactic mastectomy as part of their breast reconstruction for breast cancer on the non-affected side.
Reasons that a woman may consider a prophylactic mastectomy include:
- having a known gene mutation that increases the risk of breast cancer (e.g. BRCA1 or BRCA2)
- a very strong family history despite no proven gene mutation
- other known histological risk factors (LCIS, for example)
- symmetry/reconstructive issues after a mastectomy on one side (e.g. very large breasts, want to avoid reconstruction and want to maintain symmetry)
- barriers to long term surveillance
The decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy can be very complex. Dr Lancashire will happily guide you through your options if it is appropriate for you.
