Prophylactic Mastectomy

With an annual incidence of 252,700 cases in the United States and 41,000 deaths, breast cancer is still the most prevalent cancer in women, coming in second only to lung cancer. A woman's lifetime risk of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is 12.5% and rises with age, with the prevalence in 2014 reaching 3,346,380 cases. Breast cancer incidence changed between 1975 and 2014, according to the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database. Between 1975 and 1980 and between 2004 and 2014, there were 0.5 and 0.4 reported yearly percent changes, respectively. Changes in female reproductive habits and the introduction of more aggressive screening methods, which have boosted disease diagnosis, can be used to explain a rise in breast cancer incidence throughout the 1980s. Family history, genetic mutations, lifestyle, radiation exposure, pregnancy, prior history, and other factors are among the numerous and complex risk factors for developing breast cancer, which can also be influenced by the clinical features and the primary cancer treatment method. The rate of recurrence often increases in the first few years following the first breast cancer diagnosis and then drops. To lower the risk of breast cancer development and recurrence, a variety of interventions have been put in place.

What is a Prophylactic Mastectomy?

A prophylactic mastectomy involves removing one or both breasts as a preventative procedure to lower the risk of breast cancer. The procedure may also be referred to as a preventive or risk-reducing mastectomy. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that if you have a very high chance of developing breast cancer, a preventive mastectomy can lower your risk by up to 90%. Based on a variety of criteria, a very high risk indicates you have at least a 20% lifetime probability of having breast cancer.