Cancer Patients Removing Healthy Breasts, Too

Breast cancer fight not over yet for the E! host

(NEWSER) - Less than two months after undergoing a double lumpectomy, breast cancer battler and E! host Giuliana Rancic announced she will go back under the knife for a double mastectomy. She went public in part because "I would like to take the stigma away," she says. "'Mastectomy' the word seemed so scary to me at first. After doing research and seeing the advancements, the surgery has come a long way from 20 years ago." She also wants to encourage women to "get checked out." She is scared, she admits, but says she'll come out of the experience "a better woman." Click for more on her decision . More»

Breasts were removed though she didn't have cancer

(AP) - A California woman who underwent a double mastectomy and later discovered she didn't have breast cancer will be paid $198,000 after winning a medical malpractice lawsuit. Ana Jimenez-Salgado had her breasts surgically removed at a Los Angeles county hospital after outside pathologists said the cells obtained from an August 2007 biopsy were cancerous. When she later underwent reconstructive surgery, the hospital's pathologists examined the issue and concluded she never had breast cancer. More»

(NEWSER) - Facebook executives have again bungled rules banning breasts on the site, this time concerning cancer surgery. Facebook bans "sexual content" and bounced photos a cancer patient posted of her mastectomy scars to educate other women. After a torrent of complaints a Facebook spokeswoman admitted: "We made a mistake," and encouraged the woman to repost. Still an ongoing debate are breast-feeding photos. Facebook relented a tad on that ban and allowed "discrete" shots after complaints. More»

Double mastectomies on the rise, despite less-invasive options

(NEWSER) - More women are going to extremes after a breast cancer diagnosis, opting for double mastectomies instead of single ones or mere lumpectomies, the Washington Post reports. The number rose 150% over 5 years, despite evidence that less-invasive treatments are just as effective in saving lives. "I didn't want to be sitting around for the rest of my life waiting for the cancer to come back," said one 43-year-old nurse who opted for the more radical procedure. More»

Lack of evidence that it increases survival for most women

(NEWSER) - More women are choosing to have double mastectomies despite a lack of evidence that such a procedure increases survival for most women, according to a study in the Journal of Oncology. The number of women choosing the procedure after an initial tumor was found in one breast increased 150% over five years. Doctors usually recommend removal of a tumor and surrounding tissue for localized breast cancer, not a mastectomy. More»