Giuliana Rancic to Undergo Double Mastectomy

After lumpectomies fail to clear her breast cancer, the E! host chooses a more drastic path

Photo: Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Giuliana Rancic will have a double mastectomy after lumpectomies failed to completely eradicate her breast cancer.

Appearing with husband Bill Rancic on NBC’s Today show, the E! host, 36, said the couple considered another lumpectomy and radiation. But they are choosing the more drastic option, she said, because they want to be sure the cancer is gone, and make it much less likely to return – less than a 1 percent chance, according to her doctors.

“For me, it was important to get the cancer out,” she said. “That’s what I wanted to do, just get it out.”

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The couple’s desire for children did play a part. The years of medication that follow the lumpectomy-radiation option would have meant delaying parenthood for several years. But the real decision was more basic than that.

“At the end, to be honest, all it came down to was just choosing to live, and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life,” Rancic said.

She said her husband’s support was crucial in reaching the decision. “Bill said to me, ‘I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid,’ ” she said. “He said, ‘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.’ And that certainly helped me come to a decision.”

She added: “I couldn’t be more at peace with the decision. But it’s hard, and I still break down some nights … But I’m okay.”

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