Your thoughts on "preventative mastectomy?"?

Hey all, just curious to know what you think on this issue:

There is research that shows if a person tests positive for the breast cancer genes (called "BRCA1" and "BRCA2") and undergoes a mastectomy as a preventative measure, their risk of actually developing breast cancer decreases significantly. (Here is a link to an article about it: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prophyl...

I have never personally known anyone who has done this, so I wanted to seek your opinion - is this a controversial issue at all? What do you think? Good idea, or too radical?

Thanks for your input!

Personally, I think its too radical. But, I do commend women who are not so obsessed over their breasts that they will put themselves in danger just to feel "feminine". Fortunately, if you are aware of your situation, it may make it easier to catch any breast changes in its early stage, should a woman decide to keep her breasts.

I don't believe that having the breast cancer gene is a death sentence. You may be more likely than other women to get breast cancer. Unfortunately, there are other cancers (like pancreatic cancer) that is much more lethal, but there are no preventative measures that can be taken. Besides, who knows, you might prevent one cancer only to end up with another.

This reminds me of a story of a family where stomach cancer was common (and lethal) in their family. Majority of the family members elected to have their stomachs removed. So if you have a strong family history of cancer, and a cancer gene...it would just seem inevitable that you would be at a higher risk of getting some form of cancer no matter what you have removed.

It's controversial and a very personal decision. I THINK I'd elect for the preventive mastectomy. Being around to watch my grandchildren grow up seems, at this point anyway, to me to be more important than breasts. On the other hand, I don't think any of us can really be sure what we'd do until faced with the situation.

I think its really great that science can detect those sort of things to give you more options. I know a woman with breast cancer and supposedly has the kind that often gets passed on to daughters. So, I personally would not have a preventative mastectomy but I have not been in the situation to watch my mom suffer (and probably die) from that cancer, like the daughters of the woman I know. If I had, I would be more willing to get the mastectomy. To me, breasts equal femininity. I know alot of people who disagree with me. But I would need for there to actually be cancer, not just a chance of it, before I chose to have a mastectomy.

Good Question!