Breast Cancer Surgery

Breast Cancer Surgery: The Most Common Treatment Of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer surgery is very commonly done among those who suffer from the disease. It is actually the most common type of treatment for breast cancer and one that has varying results, and is done at varying levels of intensity depending on many aspects of the cancer.

Factors that affect the decision for the type of surgery necessary in the case of breast cancer include the stage of the cancer, the tumor size, location and grade, and the risk for recurrence of the cancer.

In cases when the cancer is detected at an early stage, treatment is much less arduous. If surgery is necessary, a lumpectomy may be called for. This is when only the cancerous tissue is removed. The healthy breast tissue remains intact.

A mastectomy is the more drastic breast cancer surgery, and the type that most women dread. In the case of a mastectomy, the entire breast is removed. This is done when the cancer has spread too far or the tumor is too difficult to remove on its own or has affected surrounding tissue.

Another type of breast cancer surgery that might be performed is a lymph node dissection.

The purpose of surgery is to remove the cancerous cells to free the body of the disease. During surgery the surgeon will remove all the cancer that he can possibly see, but very often some cells are left behind. Unfortunately cancer cells are some of the most rapid growing cells, which means that even if only a few are left after surgery, chances are very great of developing breast cancer again.

In order to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer, surgery is nearly always followed up with a form of treatment aimed at killing any possible remaining cancerous cells. Some types of treatment that may be used are radiation therapy, chemotherapy (although this is most commonly used when the cancer has spread beyond the breasts), and hormonal therapy. Radiation therapy after surgery can reduce the chances of recurring breast cancer by as much as half or two thirds.

The more advanced technology becomes and the more that is learned through research about breast cancer, the better the treatment options and the less invasive the breast cancer can be in some situations. Mastectomy used to be used in most every case of breast cancer until lumpectomy was discovered to be sufficient in some cases in the 1970s. Since then, new treatments have been discovered to make dealing with breast cancer every easier and more effective (although easy hardly seems the right word to use).
Breast cancer surgery is so commonly used because it is the most effective way of treating breast cancer. For patients considering breast reconstruction, that surgery can be started directly after a mastectomy as part of the breast cancer surgery.

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Breast Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer Screening, Breast Cancer Surgery

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