It was a tumour no larger than a few centimetres, which could have been removed with a simple surgery that would have left most of the breast intact.

Instead, Mrs Kua S.M., who is in her 50s, opted for a double mastectomy, which included her right unaffected breast.

This, despite persuasion from her doctor that a lumpectomy (also known as breast conserving surgery or wide excision) was a viable option. She also chose not to reconstruct her breasts.

A mastectomy is an operation that removes all or part of the breast.

"My mind was already made up by the time I went to see the breast surgeon to discuss my options. I told myself I had to live at least another 10 or 20 years for my husband and two boys.

"I didn't think I wanted to suffer (discovering a tumour) another time. In addition, my husband kept telling me that I'm not young any more, that I should get this (the tumour) out, and we should move on with our lives.

"He assured me that his love for me would not change," said the businesswoman, who is involved in managing a fashion and beauty business.

That she has a family history of breast cancer - her sister and mother had the disease - cemented Mrs Kua's decision to remove her breasts.

Negligible risk now

Senior consultant at the National Cancer Centre Dr Ong Kong Wee , who operated on Mrs Kua, puts her risk at developing breast cancer after the mastectomy at 1 to 2 per cent.

"It's almost negligible, now that she has had the operation," he added.

Resisting a breast reconstruction was part of her plan to avoid more pain, said Mrs Kua, who was keen to move on after the mastectomy.

Breast reconstruction surgeries involve using tissues from other parts of the body or prosthetic material to build a naturallooking breast.

Recovering from the double mastectomy was a quick and painless process, said Mrs Kua.

"The surgery lasted under two hours. My husband thought something had gone wrong because he got a call so quick," she said.

"There was some discomfort because the tubes had to be attached to the breasts for about a week to drain out the fluid. But other than that, there was no pain.

"I went home the day after the surgery and walked up and down my three-storey house," she said.

The bill for the mastectomy came up to about $33,000, all of which was covered by insurance she had bought earlier.

Life after the mastectomy has been pretty much the same as before.

"I still run 5km every day, and I still swim, using the same swimming costume I used to wear. Now, I just want to see the world and enjoy life," she said.

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