Surgical Options
As with almost any form of cancer, treatment options for breast cancer are based on the stage of the disease. But it will usually entail some type of surgical procedure to actually remove the cancer from your breast. Although there are a number of surgical options available, these procedures are often broken out into two basic categories: breast conserving and breast removal.
Breast-Conserving
With breast-conserving surgeries, the procedures entail removal of the cancer while still saving some portion of the affected breast. The most conservative of these operations is a lumpectomy. In this type of surgery, only the tumor is removed from the breast tissue, as well as a minimal amount of the surrounding healthy tissue. This is often performed in earlier stages of the disease in which the cancer is still contained within a very small area of the breast.
The second treatment option that falls within breast-conserving surgeries is a partial mastectomy. Often referred to as a segmental mastectomy, this type of procedure is performed in earlier and later stages of the disease and is frequently used in conjunction with radiation therapy and hormone therapy. In a partial mastectomy, the malignant tumor is removed, as well as a larger portion of healthy tissue surrounding the cancerous cells.
During both procedures, you may also have what is commonly known as a lymph node dissection. With this type of operation, the lymph nodes under your arm near the affected breast are removed. This is done to better fight breast cancer and to discern whether or not the abnormal cells have spread to your lymph nodes.
Breast Removal
If you're not a good candidate for a breast-conserving surgery, your next option is the removal of the affected breast. In this situation, your first option is usually a total mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed. More commonly known as a simple mastectomy, this operation is an option for almost any stage of the disease. And much like a partial mastectomy, it's often used in conjunction with radiation therapy and hormone therapy.
The next option for breast cancer surgery is a modified radical mastectomy. In this case, the breast tissue and underarm lymph nodes are removed, along with the lining of the chest muscles. Depending on the severity of the disease, a portion of the muscles that make up your chest wall may be removed.
With more advanced stages of breast cancer could come a radical mastectomy, which entails the removal of everything encompassed in a modified radical mastectomy but also involves having all chest muscles removed.
In certain situations, there is also the option for a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. This procedure removes both breasts as a way to combat cancer before it starts. Usually, bilateral prophylactic mastectomies are performed on people with a greater likelihood of developing cancer.
Tags: breast cancer, affected breast, lymph nodes, mastectomy this, partial mastectomy
