HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients
Book a video visit
HealthTap
Telehealth
A member asked:

Can you tell me is having a prophylactic mastectomy a good idea?

A doctor has provided 1 answer
Dr. Eric Brown answered

Specializes in General Surgery

Clinically, no: Prophylactic mastectomy does not improve recurrence or survival from breast cancer. The risk, generally, of a new contralateral breast cancer is only 1%/year. We generally do not recommend, unless circumstances like BRCA mutation exist.

Answered 7/29/2014

3.8k views

Thank

Related Questions

A member asked:

I recently had a prophylactic mastectomy with reconstruction, what's next?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

My prophylactic, bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction...With implants, has developed severe swelling on left side. Could it be fluid?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

Supposing you get a prophylactic mastectomy, can doctors do breast reconstruction?

6 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

A member asked:

Mother had breast cancer in mid fifties now i'm worried i'll get it. Nobody else in family had it. Should i get prophylactic mastectomy?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

My bio mother had breast cancer at a young age, and my bio grandmother had ovarian cancer. Both passed from it. Prophylactic mastectomy an option?

9 doctors weighed in across 3 answers

Sponsored Content
HealthTap Medical Group does not endorse products or services. Sponsored content revenues support our mission to make health information free and accessible to all.Learn more

People also searched for:

Is having a prophylactic mastectomy a good idea for high-risk patients?
Prophylactic bilateral mastectomy + reconstruction, can you tell me about this?
Any ideas why is it that I have nausea 4 weeks after mastectomy?
Any ideas why the arm swell, or become edematous, after a radial mastectomy?
How sensitive will i be after a nipple reconstruction? Naturally, i just want an idea of how much sensitivity i can expect in that area after a nipple reconstruction surgery. Will being touched there feel the same is it did before my mastectomy?

Telemedicine

Primary Care
Manage Your Conditions
Women's Health
Children's Health
Men's Health
Senior Health
Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle
Sexual Health
Mental & Behavioral Health
Travel Medicine
Urgent Care
Ask your question
Didn't find what you're looking for?

90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more.

Ask your question

More of what we treat

Allergies
Antibiotics
Asthma
High Blood Pressure
Prescriptions
Type 2 Diabetes
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.
HealthTap
HIPAA logo
HIPAASecure
Soc 2 Type 2 logo
SOC 2 Type 2Certified
JCAHO Accredited
JCAHOAccredited
Member App

Download HealthTap

Video visit and message your doctor

Member App QR Code
Play Store Member LinkApp Store Member Link

Questions?

+1 (888) 828-0841support@healthtap.com
LinkedInTwitter
HomeTermsPrivacyCookiesDMCAHealth TopicsDoctors DirectoryDoctor Q&A by Specialty
Copyright 2026 HealthTap, Inc.