Giuliana Rancic to undergo double mastectomy
(CBS) TV personality Giuliana Rancic says she will have a double mastectomy, after lumpectomies failed to remove all of her breast cancer.
The E! News host, who appeared on the "Today" show Monday with husband Bill Rancic, said the couple considered another lumpectomy or radiation, but ultimately chose the option that gave her the best odds.
"For me, it was very important to just get the cancer out," Rancic, 37, said. "That's what I wanted to do. Just get it out. With the double mastectomy I have less than 1 percent chance of getting it [the cancer] back. With the lumpectomy, radiation and medication, I could have seen 20 to 30 to 40 percent chance in my lifetime, and for me it just wasn't worth it."
Their desire to become parents was another factor. Rancic told "Today" co-host Ann Curry that the anti-estrogen therapy involved in another lumpectomy and radiation could delay them having children for years. (The couple's struggle to have kids, including undergoing multiple rounds of in-vitro fertilization, was chronicled on their reality show "Giuliana & Bill.")
But, she continued, "In the end, all it came down to was just choosing to live and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life."
Rancic said her husband has been supportive: "Bill said to me, 'I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid. I don't care what you look like, I don't care about the physical portion of this, I just need you around for the next 50 years. So let's just get you healthy.'"
"I couldn't be more at peace with the decision," she added. "I still break down some nights. When it's quiet in bed, it's easy to start crying and just be sad. But I'm OK."