QUESTION: Can you discuss the differences between two types of breast operations for cancer? One is called a "lumpectomy" and the other removes the whole breast.
I am anxious to know if one is better than the other and why.
ANSWER: The lumpectomy is a relatively new procedure performed on women with breast cancer.
In this operation, only the tumor in the breast is removed, rather than in the mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed. You might be wondering why people would give up an entire breast in the mastectomy, rather than just having part of it removed. The answer is the follow-up care that's required after the lumpectomy. The lumpectomy is most successful when used together with about six weeks worth of radiation treatments.
The patient may have to report for therapy as many as five times a week for the treatments.
During that time, the woman will likely feel fatigued, and the fatigue may last for months after the last dose is absorbed.
Lumpectomies are not advised for small breasted women. They work very well in larger breasted women who have smaller tumor masses. The whole lump can be removed, without causing the breast to become deformed or distorted.
In fact, in many cases, the breast may return to almost normal in time. The lumpectomy is one of the developments in breast cancer surgery that seeks to reduce the physical disfigurement that was the result of some of the previous surgical techniques used to remove the cancer.
Those procedures removed not only the breast but all of the surrounding lymph glands as well in an attempt to eliminate every possible cancer cell from the body and prevent recurrence and spread.
The additional use of radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy have made the less extensive operations acceptable, as the overall results achieved reveal that these treatment are both effective and successful.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
