Breast Cancer Surgery

Surgery may offer a negative connotation to some people – sounding like the final treatment option for a grave disease. However, breast cancer surgery is actually the major treatment scheme for women with breast cancer. Right now, science has come up with more than one choice of surgical procedure.

Choosing from among the various breast cancer surgery options is not only dependent on the personal preference of the patient. There are several factors that will affect the type of breast cancer surgery appropriate for each patient, such as: location and size of tumor or breast lump; type of cancer or its stage; the patient’s breast size; and the patient’s personal choice.

Your doctor may be the best person to recommend the most appropriate breast cancer surgery for you. However, this should not stop you from asking your doctor pertinent questions such as the benefits and risks that come with the surgery; cost and efficiency of the procedure; additional treatments; possibility of recurrence; and your recovery time.

There are two breast conservation or tissue-sparing surgeries available: lumpectomy and partial mastectomy. Lumpectomy is performed by removing the breast cancer, as well as some parts of normal tissue surrounding the breast lump. On some occasions, the underarm lymph nodes may also be removed during this particular breast cancer surgery in order to make sure that the cancer has not spread. Most often, radiation therapy complements lumpectomy as it works to destroy other possible cancer cells which have been missed by surgery.

Partial or segmental mastectomy is performed by removing the breast cancer, as well as a bigger part of normal tissue surrounding the breast lump. Sometimes, the lymph nodes found under the arm and chest wall lining near the tumor may be removed by the surgeon as well. Radiation therapy is often administered to the patient so as to destroy potential cancer cell that may have remained even after breast cancer surgery has been performed.

Mastectomy is another type of breast cancer surgery that is non-breast conserving. This procedure is done by totally removing the patient’s affected breast. Doctors may also advice patients to undergo such procedure under the following situations: cancer has invaded the lymph nodes under the patient’s arm or to other areas of the breast tissue; and small breasts may become deformed if lumpectomy is done.

Mastectomy is further divided into three types: simple or total mastectomy; modified radical mastectomy; and radical mastectomy. The first type is done by removing the patient’s entire breast, including the areola, nipple, and the overlying skin. The surgeon may also take out the lymph nodes located under the arm.

Modified radical mastectomy is much like simple mastectomy, although in this procedure, the surgeon also takes out chest muscle lining.

Radical mastectomy is similar to the modified radical mastectomy but this procedure includes the removal of the chest muscles as well. This has been the standard breast cancer surgery for several years but is now rarely done, and is mostly recommended on patients whose breast cancer has invaded the chest muscles.

A patient’s recovery and duration of hospital stay differs according to the type of breast cancer surgery performed. Lumpectomies are generally done as outpatient services, with patients spending recovery in an observation room after surgery. The various mastectomy surgeries would require around one to two days of stay in the health care facility.

Reconstructive surgery for breast cancer may be chosen by women who have undergone some type of breast cancer surgery. Reasons vary, from wanting to achieve a
”balanced” look, to regaining breast contour, to doing away with prosthesis. Although this is not a must, it definitely helps women accept and cope with their condition much better.