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Can you still get breast cancer after a bilateral mastectomy?

It is nearly impossible to remove 100% of the milk glands within the breast as they are scattered throughout the fat that covers the chest. THis means that there is always a chance of cancer returning. Luckily, this risk is very low. 

Many lumps and bumps will develop over the years following a mastectomy as scar tissue from the surgery builds up in the breast. These changes should always be reported to a doctor as they will want to regularly follow-up to ensure they are not appearing or changing at a rate that would suggest a return of cancer.

What is a bilateral mastectomy?

How is a bilateral mastectomy performed?

How long is a hospital stay for a double mastectomy?

How long does it take to recover from a double mastectomy?

How painful is mastectomy recovery?

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

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