Jan 29, 2009 10:44 am US/Eastern
Women Opt For Preventative Mastectomies
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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More and more women are deciding to have a preventative mastectomy to drastically reduce their chances of getting the disease.
AP
Some young women concerned about breast cancer are taking drastic measures before the disease even strikes. More and more women are deciding to have a preventative mastectomy to drastically reduce their chances of getting the disease.
Tiffany Seely didn't have cancer, and her mammogram was completely normal for a 39-year-old woman, but she still had surgery. "Double mastectomy, correct, and an oophorectomy, removal of your ovaries and tubes," she told CBS station WCBS-TV.
Seely's mother had died at age 41 of ovarian cancer and a couple years ago, Seely had a test for BRCA 1 and 2, the so-called breast cancer genes. The test came back positive. "Which left me with an 87 percent chance of breast cancer by age 70, and a 44 percent chance of ovarian by age 70," Seely said.
She went to see Dr. Lyle Leipziger, plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Seely said she was led to the decision because of "the thought of having to get breast cancer, having to go through chemo, and then maybe the double mastectomy anyway."
"Today, women are coming in braca positive, stating that 'I don't want to ever get this disease. I'd like to avoid it at all costs'," Leipziger said.
Seely had her double mastectomy, as more women are doing, to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 90 to 95 percent. What makes that decision somewhat easier is breast reconstruction can now begin during the same operation as the mastectomy.
"Some women will require an implant type reconstruction. Other women will be able to utilize their own tissue," Leipziger said.
Seely had reconstruction and has no regrets about her decision. "Having all these surgeries and to actually look great at the end, even better, it's amazing," Seely said.
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