Megan-Claire Chase, Breast Cancer Program Director at SHARE Cancer Support, shared on LinkedIn:
“I was talking with a fellow breast cancer survivor yesterday about being surgery shamed for choosing a lumpectomy instead of a double mastectomy. Our conversation reminded me of a post I wrote for WebMD years ago, and sadly, it is still just as relevant today.
‘I was horrified, dismayed, and angry about these ignorant remarks. That’s when I realized that Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns may have done a disservice to women. It seems like they highlight women who had a double mastectomy as the warriors of the movement because it’s the most invasive surgery. But how often do we hear breast conservation being celebrated?’
Janice Cowden, MBC Patient Advocate, commented:
” ‘Surgery shamed’… I didn’t know it was a thing. I’ve never once felt ‘ashamed’ for choosing lumpectomy over mastectomy, nor did I blame that decision for having a stage IV metastatic recurrence 5 years later. To be honest, I don’t recall anyone else shaming or blaming me either.”
Can Breast-Conserving Surgery Be Oncologically Safe for Multiple Ipsilateral Breast Cancers?
