When to have risk-reducing breast surgery

So, the younger you are when you have risk-reducing surgery, the more likely it is to prevent a breast cancer.

However, this is a very individual decision and the potential benefit of risk-reducing surgery must be balanced with other issues such as:

• How anxious you feel about the possibility of getting breast cancer and the impact it would have on your life.
• Plans for having children and being able to breast-feed (breast-feeding can reduce your risk of breast cancer).
• Your age. Breast cancer is very rare in teenagers.

Your genetic specialist can advise you about how the risk level changes with age.

It’s also important to bear in mind that the fitter you are, the less likely it is that there will be complications following surgery. Some methods of reconstructive surgery wouldn’t be recommended if you have certain medical conditions (such as diabetes or high blood pressure), or if you are a smoker, which may affect your options.

When to have surgery of this type is a very personal choice; discussing the above points with your breast surgeon and clinical nurse specialist might help you to make the decision. Your genetic counsellor or breast surgeon may also be able to give you an estimate of your chance of developing breast cancer over the next 5–10 years compared to your risk of developing it over your whole lifetime. This might help you reach a decision.