A double mastectomy, also known as a bilateral mastectomy, is a surgical procedure in which both breasts are removed at the same time. It is a major surgery that is performed to remove cancer or to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who may be at high risk for the disease. The surgery removes all breast tissue and can be performed with or without breast reconstruction surgery, either at the same time or as a separate procedure. The recovery time for a double mastectomy may take a few weeks to several weeks, depending on the circumstances.
There are several reasons why a patient might need or choose to undergo a double mastectomy. For instance, a woman who has a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation may seek the procedure as a preventive measure because her risk of developing breast cancer is much higher than that of an average woman. Double mastectomy is sometimes done as a risk-reducing (or preventive) surgery for women at very high risk for getting breast cancer, such as those with a strong family history of the disease. It is also an option for some women with a diagnosis of breast cancer.
After having a mastectomy, a woman might want to consider having the breast mound rebuilt to restore the breasts appearance. This is called breast reconstruction. The reasons for a mastectomy relate to the characteristics of the cancer, including the type, number of tumors, size and location of each tumor, and size of the tumor(s) in relation to the size of the affected breast(s) .
In summary, a double mastectomy is a surgical procedure in which both breasts are removed at the same time. It is performed to remove cancer or to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who may be at high risk for the disease. The surgery removes all breast tissue and can be performed with or without breast reconstruction surgery.
