Getting rid of the cancer is what we all want, but there is rarely any single procedure that will give us that guarantee. Sometimes shrinking a tumor may actually be the best option because if it’s eventually removed in a smaller more contained state, there may be less likelihood of a spread. There’s no guarantee in anything and by having a mastectomy or any surgical procedure is not a guarantee that something is gone. Me that was one of the hardest parts of adjusting to my new life as a cancer patient. I am over five years post mastectomy, I continue to have lots of doctor visits as they monitor a spot on my kidney, cloudiness in my lungs that seems to be the result of radiation, and of course the breast cancer folks will continue to see me for the rest of my life. I think my outcome is a pretty good one, but I am still a cancer patient. I will always be a cancer patient. It was really hard for me to adjust to a wait and see attitude following procedures. I so much wanted something to just cut it out burn it off get rid of it. It may happen for some cancer patients, but I doubt that it happens for most or all of us. I would pay attention to what your doctors advice. Even if they ultimately are going to remove the mass, it may well be a more successful attempt. If the mass they are removing is smaller rather than larger. Talk to them about that. Talk to your family about accepting the fact that you have carefully researched and discussed with the experts the appropriate next steps and that there’s no simple just cut it out and it’ll be gone! Hope that helps