Why Refusing Standard Breast Cancer Treatment Is So Dangerous

A young woman recently went viral on social media after sharing that she has bilateral breast cancer — stage 2 triple-positive cancer on one side with multiple positive lymph nodes, and DCIS on the other — and has chosen to forgo surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation in favor of unproven alternatives.

This is heartbreaking. Let's talk about why.

We don't have randomized studies comparing treatment versus no treatment for breast cancer — that would be unethical. What we do have is historical data from the 1800s and 1900s, before modern treatments were available.

The numbers are stark:

• Median survival without treatment: less than 3 years
• Only about 20% or fewer patients survive to 5 years
• Very, very few survive to 10 years

For this particular cancer (triple-positive breast cancer), the five-year survival rate with standard treatment is 96.7%. One of the biggest reasons survival is so high is because of incredible chemotherapy agents — Herceptin in particular has been life-changing for these patients.

The contrast could not be more dramatic.

Dr. Killeen always tells patients: we don't have "traditional" or "alternative" treatments in medicine. We have:

1. Things we know work — backed by rigorous study
2. Things we know don't work — tested and shown to be ineffective
3. Things we don't know — not yet properly studied

If you choose to treat cancer with something that hasn't been properly studied — and especially hasn't been tested against the standard of care that has exceptional cure rates — that is objectively a very poor decision. This is particularly true when there isn't even a plausible mechanism by which the alternative would affect breast cancer.

As a surgeon who treats breast cancer patients and performs breast reconstruction, Dr. Killeen sees firsthand how devastating these situations are — and not just for the patient.

Most physicians go into medicine because they love taking care of people and making their lives better. Watching a patient die needlessly is horrible and traumatizing. There are absolutely no winners in this situation other than the cancer:

• The patient is very unlikely to survive based on the statistics
• The family — including young children — will suffer
• Other patients who follow her lead will be harmed
• The clinical team caring for her will carry that experience

Breast cancer treatment has never been more effective than it is today. If you or someone you know is facing a breast cancer diagnosis, please seek care from qualified medical professionals. The treatments we have — surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapies — save lives. Don't let misinformation on social media convince you otherwise.