Did Christina Applegate Go Too Far with a Double Mastectomy?

Back in August, Christina Applegate, star of ABC's sitcom Samantha Who? , who became famous for her role as Kelly Bundee on Married With Children and film roles, revealed that she had undergone the drastic double mastectomy procedure as preventative measure. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, and testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, the 36 year old actress chose to aggressively treat her breast cancer diagnosis with the radical surgery and opt for reconstructive implants.

Christina Applegate at the 2008 Emmy Awards, after undergoing a double mastectomy as part of her aggressive breast cancer treatment.


Joking about it on television interviews, she was thrilled to note that she won't ever have to worry about saggy boobs when she grows older. Though Christina Applegate said doing the double mastectomy was a tough decision, she was absolutely sure it was the right one, since her family history (her mother had both breast cancer and cervical cancer) and genetic testing proved she was at a greater risk. At the time of the announcement she declared on ABC's Good Morning America that she is now "absolutely, 100% clean and clear" of cancer.

There seem to be two schools of thought on Christina's decision out there in the community. Perhaps many see it as radical given her young age and the fact that the breast cancer she had was detected early, and only removed from one breast during a lumpectomy. With chemo and radiation, many think she was in a good position to battle breast cancer without the drastic surgery.

However, women in a similar position with such a family history and being diagnosed at a young age, may agree that she did the right thing by being so proactive. As I've watched her story unfold, and know that at some point, I may have to make a similar decision, it's interesting to put yourself in those shoes and ask, would I do the same thing?

While I still haven't been tested for the BRCA-1 gene, I do assume that I am a likely carrier given family history - both my mother and grandmother have faced breast cancer, and there is cancer on my father's side, beyond his current diagnosis of head and neck cancer. At 31, I have already been doing mammograms and ultrasounds earlier than the average woman simply due to the family history, and will continue to do so, along with regular self breast exams.

At this point, I would have to say that it wasn't that radical of a decision, and that I'd be likely to do the same thing, knowing that may offer people in our position the best chance at fighting breast cancer. (As a perk, I'd look foward to the chance to get to slightly enhance my barely-B cup~). But in all seriousness, this aggressive treatment may be becoming more commonplace as breast cancer continues to affect more and more women each year.

Either way, I am looking forward to Christina Applegate's upcoming appearance on Oprah, scheduled to air on Tuesday September 30th. She will openly discuss her experience with breast cancer and her decision to undergo the double mastectomy, in an affort to raise awareness and put additional information out there about the breast cancer gene, and help others in a simlar position, as we head into October, National Breast Cancer Awarenesss Month.

You can see a preview of Christina Applegate on Oprah on YouTube.

Christina Applegate has since returned to the studio for filming of new Samantha Who? episodes, which returns to ABC on October 13th, 2008.