Posted 6/8/2014 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Uhm, please remember I am not a doctor, okay? But I cannot imagine that kind of choice. The node biopsy will be the tell-all because that gives the doctor the information to know how aggressive and/or advanced this is, and also what potential there is for this cancer to spread.
I would ask the doc to send that sample out for what's called an OncoTypeDX which will give you a concrete number (it's based on 3 values) to determine what type of treatment is best.
So, no, I have never heard of a doctor scheduling a surgery without knowing in advance what he's doing.
Some people get prophylactic mastectomies. I had that done as well (partial) on the pre-cancerous tissue in the breast on the other side, in addition to having the cancer removed from my breast.
Please double check with your doc.
M.