For sure once you find out you have breast cancer, the first thing that comes to your mind is to get rid of it using whatever means possible. Having a mastectomy is not the end of many women’s fight against breast cancer – it’s just the beginning for others.

Actually, in the first year and a half after getting a mastectomy or having a tumor removed along with healthy surrounding tissue, breast cancer patients are more likely to see their cancer return.

According to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, women’s breast cancer recurs after a surgery mainly because of the healing process of the surgical scar.

Your immune system’s default mode is to stop the spread of cancer. However, during your healing and recovery from a mastectomy, these healing forces were not able to focus on their job which is to prevent the spread of cancer. Instead, they were forced to focus on getting the wound closed up in order to prevent infections, promote repair, and spur the growth of blood vessels. This means that they are too busy to keep cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

Because of this, cancer cells grow and thrive again, forming tumors in other areas of the patient’s body such as brain, lungs, and liver. As compared to the original breast tumor, this can even be more dangerous in some cases.

That’s why, if you already have gotten a mastectomy, you can lessen your chances of this from happening by having a healthy diet. Eat foods that are rich in antioxidants since it can help combat cancer and protect your body from its spread. Some perfect food choices that are useful in fighting cancer include berries, dark chocolate, and green leafy vegetables. Generally, these foods also support a healthy immune system.

Furthermore, researchers found that your immune system can also be controlled with the use of anti-inflammatory medicine. In an animal test using rats, it showed that anti-inflammatory medicine was another effective option. However, further studies must be conducted to know if it would be effective on humans.

Mastectomy Doesn’t Reduce Risk of Cancer Death

Over the course of eight years, there was this study conducted on more than a half million American breast cancer patient. According to the results, a double mastectomy does not offer significant protection to women from a recurrence of their cancer. It can’t help women to live longer.

This is particularly concerning against the backdrop of rising double mastectomies involving one healthy and one cancerous breast, a procedure that rose from 4 percent of patients in 2002 to almost 13 percent in 2012.

Some women undergo double mastectomies because they were pushed into it by profit-minded doctors, while others undergo out of fear of recurrence.

When it comes to cancer, it’s really necessary to gather and consider all the facts before making any decision of undergoing such dramatic procedure. Researching natural alternatives as well as getting a second or third opinion from doctors who won’t be profiting can help give patients peace of mind.