Experts recommend considering breast amputation well

Experts from Salzburg warn against the radical step of a breast amputation. The debate started last week, when Hollywood Star Angelina Jolie announced that she had her breasts removed out of fear of breast cancer.

The debate about breast amputations was the topic of last week. Due to a congenital mutation, Angelina Jolie was at high risk of getting breast cancer.

Around 25,000 Austrians share her fate. Ten percent of all cases of breast cancer are due to a congenital mutation. Affected women are at a 90 percent risk of getting cancer.

However, only every fifth woman at risk decides to remove her breasts. The psychologist Anna Wenger said that this is upon reasonable grounds.

“The depth of laceration of such an operation is really stressing. Skin layers and the breast muscle are opened and this is a very painful feeling”, Ms Wenger warned.

The alternative to the amputation is annual examinations with ultrasound, MRT and tumour marker tests in order to recognize a carcinoma as early as possible.