Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

I have recently been diagnosed with DCIS in one breast, nothing in the other. NHS treatment option is unilateral mastectomy with implant, my preference is a bilateral mastectomy with implants. I don't meet criteria for genetic testing although there is plenty of breast cancer in my family history, it is not genetic. I would not stand to go through this process again should DCIS develop in my other breast and also psychologically I can't bear the thought of my breast looking and feeling differently forever more. My mother had the same and is now quite mismatched!  I wondered if anyone had successfully found a surgeon who would perform this surgery either NHS or private? I'm very anxious and stressed about the whole thing and feel we should be able to self advocate to some extent. Thank you

  • Hi Glassyact and welcome to the Cancer Chat forum.

    Hopefully some of our members who have had either of these breast cancer surgeries will stop by soon to share their experiences and advice but I just thought I would share some information we have about getting a second opinion in case you wanted to see if you could get another doctor's opinion on your preferred choice of surgery.

    You can also look for private care options through websites such as The Private Healthcare Information Network (Phin) and Go Private but if you'd like to discuss your options with one of our cancer nurses, they're available on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m. They're very informative and will do all they can to help.

    We're sending you all our support Glassyact and wishing you all the best with your surgery.

    Kind regards,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Thank you for your reply, I have spoken to one of your cancer nurses, they said surgeons are not allowed to remove healthy tissues. I have contacted private surgeons all over the country, they all say the must follow the MDT guidelines even if paying privately, it is very frustrating!. Thank you for the links and the information. I am now at a loss as to how to find a surgeon who will perform my desired surgical procedure, I have researched, I totally understand the risks etc. If I were in America I would have the choice, I do find it incredible that I cannot here. So hopefully, there is someone out there who has wanted the same thing and been successful, I would love to hear how and who please?