What Oncologists Think of Ex-MTV VJ Ananda Lewis's Decision to 'Keep' Her Breast Cancer Tumor Experts said it is currently impossible to cure stage I to III breast cancer without surgery
Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis, 51, said her breast cancer had progressed to stage IV after she declined surgical treatment for the disease that was recommended by her care team
- Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis, 51, said she refused surgical treatment for stage III breast cancer even though it was recommended by her doctor in a new interview with CNN.
- Lewis pursued alternative treatments for breast cancer; now, her cancer has progressed to stage IV.
- Experts said it is currently impossible to cure stage I to III breast cancer without surgery.
Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis, 51, shared that her breast cancer has progressed and is now stage IV, in a new interview with CNN.
Lewis first shared her cancer diagnosis in an Instagram post in October 2020. She said then that she had been “fighting to get cancer out of [her] body for almost two years.”
Lewis was originally diagnosed with stage III breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. She did not get regular mammograms but found the lump that led to her diagnosis through a self exam.
When Lewis was diagnosed, her doctors recommended a double mastectomy, a treatment in which both breasts are removed surgically.
In the new CNN interview, Lewis shared why she decided against that treatment. “My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body,” she said. “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.”
Lewis received radiation, and she also changed her diet and sleep habits and sought out homeopathic therapies. But her cancer metastasized (or spread) to other areas of her body, and last year Lewis was told her cancer had progressed to stage IV. “It was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like this is how it ends,” said Lewis.
During the CNN interview, Lewis questioned the decisions she made immediately after her diagnosis. “Looking back on that, I go, ‘You know what? Maybe I should have,’” she said.
Here, experts explain what a double mastectomy is, when it’s recommended, and the risks of foregoing a surgical cancer treatment at the recommendation of your care team.
Living With Breast Cancer During and After TreatmentWhat Is a Double Mastectomy—and When Is the Procedure Recommended?
A double mastectomy is a procedure in which both breasts are surgically removed. This is different from a single mastectomy, in which one breast is surgically removed, or a lumpectomy, in which a lump is surgically removed from the breast.
Whether or not a mastectomy is recommended, instead of another treatment like a lumpectomy, depends on “how large the tumor is relative to your breast size,” Doreen Agnese, MD, a surgical oncologist and clinical geneticist with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, told Health.
Surgery is often recommended because it’s currently the best option doctors have: “Right now, there is no evidence that we can cure breast cancer without surgery,” Stephanie Downs-Canner, MD, a breast surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told Health. “In stage I to III breast cancer, which is curable, there’s no scenario that we can skip surgery altogether.”
Double mastectomies are sometimes recommended for preventative measures. “Typically, we would recommend double, or bilateral, mastectomies for people who have mutations in their genes, like BRCA, that make them high-risk,” said Downs-Canner. For example, she explained, the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 80% for people with certain gene mutations. People in this category may opt for a double mastectomy so that they don’t develop the disease.
Agnese added that a person may also opt for a double mastectomy if their doctor has recommended a single mastectomy to treat their cancer but they would prefer to be “even.” Additionally, some people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer may decide to get a double mastectomy so they don’t have to continue with cancer screenings.
Double mastectomies are sometimes recommended as a treatment for breast cancer, though it’s less common for women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts, Halle Moore, MD, a hematologist and medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic, told Health. “There are situations where patients may benefit from having both breasts removed if they have cancer on both sides,” she explained.
In short, experts said, mastectomies are sometimes the best choice for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer—or for those who are high-risk for the disease and want to eliminate their chances of developing it.
A mastectomy usually requires a hospital stay of one to two nights. Most women should fully recover within about a month. Some women choose to undergo breast reconstruction surgery when they get a double mastectomy, and their recovery time may be longer.
What Causes Breast Cancer? Risk Factors to KnowThe Risks of Declining Surgery for Breast Cancer Treatment
“Breast cancer is such a diverse group of diseases,” said Downs-Canner. “There are cancers that grow really slowly, but there are other breast cancers that are extremely aggressive.” The higher the stage of breast cancer, the more likely it is to spread to other areas of the body, she added.
When a person declines a surgical treatment—such as a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or double mastectomy—they run the risk that their cancer will spread.
Though there are different types of breast cancers that grow at varying rates, “ultimately, all breast cancer can spread and become metastatic,” said Downs-Canner. Research from 2005 suggests that women who refuse surgery for breast cancer treatment have a lower five-year survival rate and an increased risk of dying of breast cancer compared to those who opt for surgical treatment,
Agnese said she tries to keep patients engaged if they decide to forego surgical treatment and opt for alternative medicine: “I usually try to say, ‘Why don’t you come back and see me in a few months and we can reassess?’ so that if things aren’t going well I have another chance to say, ‘Would you consider traditional medical therapy at this point?’”
Experts said Lewis’s story underscores two things all women need to be aware of: screening and symptoms.
Getting regular mammomgrams, which are recommended for all women starting at age 40, is an important part of breast cancer detection.
When she first announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, Lewis said on Instagram: “For a really long time I have refused mammograms, and that was a mistake,” If I had done the mammograms from the time they were recommended, when I turned 40, they would have caught the tumor in my breast years before I caught it through my own self exam, and they would have caught it at a place where it was more manageable.”
Women should also be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer, Agnese said, which include:
- A lump in the breast
- Dimpling of the skin on the breast
- Changes in the nipple
- A rash that looks like eczema around the nipple
- Rapid onset of swelling of the breast
- Nipple discharge
No matter their age, all women should talk to a provider if they notice any changes in their breast. “A lot of times very young people think, I’m too young to have a problem,” said Downs-Canner. “But they should be persistent about getting it checked out.”
If someone is interested in pursuing alternative therapies outside of the realm of traditional medicine, they should have honest conversations with their doctor about this, experts said. Your doctor can talk to you about the risks of foregoing treatments that have been proven to be effective through years of trials and studies.
“We really have [our patient’s] bests interest in mind,” said Downs-Canner. She added that when doctors recommend surgical treatments, they do so to give people with cancer the best odds of survival.
This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Maggie O'Neill
