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Mastectomy always best in early breast cancer patients?

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    Dr. Marc Siegel on new study's findings

  • Duration 3:05
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-- number number number number no new information could save the lives of patients suffering from breast cancer.

Researchers looked at more than a 100000 cases and they found that patients in stage one and stage two.

Who chose to remove only the -- and get radiation treatments had a better survival rate than those who chose a mastectomy.

Doctor Mark Siegel as a professor of medicine at -- on medical center in new York university and a member of the Fox News medical eighteen thank you for joining us that is in order so -- -- specifically says that this is for small early breast cancer so.

Can we assume that part of the reason is that -- People who get a mastectomy are generally further along and that will be one of the reasons why they don't -- -- rivalry.

Well except that it looked at the mastectomies for the same kind of patients who had very early type it was done at Duke University looked at the California registry of over a 100000.

Patience as you said this is a very large study and it speaks to fear -- and it speaks to the idea that some times.

Women might have a mastectomy thinking the best way to keep this from coming back.

Is to remove the whole breast now years ago we moved in the direction of lumpectomy and what's called breast conserving.

Breast conserving therapy but lately there's been more of a trend back in the opposite direction of more and more women wanting mastectomy there's reasons for that.

If you have a genetic problem.

If you haven't infiltrated type of breast cancer that you can't really contained.

Before most women if it's very early like this lumpectomy and radiation is the best option and and this study is dramatic that it shows.

In the years after the the surgery there was literally a 14%.

Less dying of breast cancer if you had the more limited procedure and 19% overall.

That includes heart disease and other problems that women can have from having had a mastectomy.

Why would a woman who has had a mastectomy be more likely to die of heart disease there's two reasons first of all women that choose that may be sicker to begin -- The second reason is the surgery may have more complications.

Sometimes less is more if you -- bigger surgery you have more risk of bleeding more risk of side effects more risks of anesthesia.

All of these things if you have underlying diseases can increase your risk of dying the question is what works the best.

And I think it's been proven that lumpectomy plus radiation is not only an alternative to mastectomy but should be used in most cases this is a great reminder of -- it's an observational study is not proof but is -- reassuring to women who work.

Considering the more conservative option.

Yeah -- -- as you say the authors pointed out this is a linkage but it's not necessarily a cause and effect but you believe that women should consider this study when choosing a treatment -- -- they should consider this study and they already should've considered data that shows clearly that lumpectomy is the way to go in most cases I think fear is the big issue here in this helps cut through the fear.

You don't have to have the breast removed in order to survive that's the bottom line here we knew that before this study.

This study is only observational but it adds more information to what we already knew and it's reassuring for women out there that have chosen a lumpectomy yeah I talked to Mark Siegel thank -- -- -- great to see -- on.

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