Hi - Have you had just the single surgery, or a followup to try for clean margins? Not getting clean margins the first time out isn't unusual; surgeons try to cut out JUST enough, and not too much, to obtain the best cosmetic result. I disagree with your relative doctor; you don't just keep cutting and cutting during the first surgery, as the margins need to be examined microscopically. If you don't get clean margins the first time, generally the surgeon will go back in a second, third, sometimes even a fourth time to clean out those margins. If s/he finally decides clean margins are impossible, THEN you'd have a mastectomy.

Does this help? Hope so - PJH