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You’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and had a lumpectomy, which is basically the breast cancer and surrounding tissue, which is hopefully free of cancer. That lump is removed. Almost always, they’re going to recommend radiation. And the question may be, well, why wouldn’t they pick off my whole breast? If I know I have cancer in it, why would they just take out a lump and do radiation? Well, the studies have found, and we’ve looked at high volume studies that in those settings where a lumpectomy and radiation afterward are okay. There is no benefit in survival to do a full mastectomy where you take away all the breast tissue and that doing the radiation is actually just as effective in overall survival, which is why in those settings, if it’s recommended, you can have the assurance that in those high volume studies, the radiation is adequate without some of the complications and problems that happen with removing the whole breast.
