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Sporting activities affected after surgery?

Page last modified on: August 20, 2008
Question from Irene P: I have recently had a breast removed. Luckily, it all happened so fast that I didn't have time to really think about it. But, now, as I recover, I am worried I won't be able to do all the wonderful sporting activities I was doing before. I am 37, and I have always lived for my sport.
Answer —Patricia Ganz, M.D.: I don't know of any significant limitations concerning sporting activities after having a mastectomy. Sometimes, if you have had your lymph nodes removed under the arm, there may be some limitation in arm motion or precautions you must take to reduce the risk of swelling in the arm. There are many women who resume very physically active lives after breast cancer surgery without any difficulty.

On Wednesday, October 17, 2001, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Quality of Life. Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.,Marisa Weiss, M.D., answered your questions about how breast cancer can affect physical, emotional, social, and sexual aspects of your life.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Patricia A. Ganz, M.D.Patricia A. Ganz, M.D. is a medical oncologist and a professor in the schools of medicine and public health at UCLA, and is director of the division of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center there.

Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.

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