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Myth: Removing the entire breast gives you a better chance of surviving cancer than having a lumpectomy with radiation therapy.

Reality: Survival rates are about the same for women who have mastectomies and for women who choose the breast-conserving option of removing only part of the breast and following the surgery with radiation treatments. However, there are some cases—such as with extensive DCIS disease, the presence of BRCA gene mutations, or particularly large tumors—when lumpectomy and radiation may not be an appropriate treatment option.

Next: Myth: Overweight women have the same breast cancer risk as other women.