Newly diagnosed early stage breast cancer

Hi everyone, I've just been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.  Can I ask how long people waited for a lumpectomy?  This will be the start of my treatment and i'm now waiting for the surgery date.  I have read on the NHS Cancer Guidelines surgery should be within 31 days of diagnosis but I know the NHS still has a backlog of patients awaiting surgery.

  • Hi I have just joined today. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 23rd, had several other tests and had a mastectomy on 28th February. Initially they thought I could have a lumpectomy but the mri showed it was larger so the plan was changed. 
    I can only give praise to the NHS for their care and understanding, I could not have asked for better care. I am now just over a week from the op and doing really well, much better than I expected. Good luck fir your treatment x

  • So sorry your diagnosis changed from what you were expecting but I hope you are now recovering well. Thank you for taking the time to reply x

  • Hi I was diagnosed with breast cancer 15th Feb 2023 - on 15 th March I had a lumpectomy. NHS were brilliant all the way. I also have to say that the chat forum on here helped me so much too.  Having someone to chat to who had been through similar was such a massive help to me xx

  • HI Jo,

    A very warm welcome to our forum.

    I am sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis, but I am glad to hear that you have caught it early. Do you know what type of breast cancer you have? The time lapse between diagnosis and appointment varies considerably from clinic to clinic. The best people to ask about this are the members of your care team, as they will know what the waiting time is likely to be in your local area. You could try phoning your breast care nurse for guidance.

    I have had 2 bouts of early stage breast cancer and have had a lumpectomy, followed by a double mastectomy the following year. That was 14 years ago now and I still lead a busy and fulfilling life - I'm sure that you will too.

    Please keep in touch and let us know how you get on. We are always here for you.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Hi I was diagnosed April 29th also in Lymph nodes and booked in for May 24th but they found another lump yesterday so have been asked to decide between lumpectomy or mastectomy . X

  • Hi, I been looking into how long people wait.  
    I was diagnosed middle of July, after a month of waiting as the team lost my notes, I’m due to have a lumpectomy early September.  Will be 3 months from the day I first went to GP.  
    IDC 60mm x 41mm - recently had biopsy on lymph nodes  and waiting results 

  • I was initially going to go for lumpectomy but after mri it was found to be larger than first thought so was advised to have a mastectomy. For me this was the right decision as I was worried a lumpectomy would not get it all. Good luck with your treatment whatever you decide and wishing you a speedy recovery xx