Getting breast cancer can be one of the most heart-wrenching things one goes through in life. Breast cancer lumpectomy is not the only way to treat this dreaded disease. Here are some of things one ought to know about it.
Diagnosing the disease
The first signs that things are not how they should be is usually had with a mammogram. Or it may be if the patient has found a lump and wants to get it tested for cancer. After the doctor asks questions about her health, tests are ordered to be done as soon as possible. A physical breast exam is done first to find out any changes in the nipple or the texture of the skin on the breasts. If the doctor is worried, then a mammogram, an MRI scan or a breast ultrasound is done on the patient. A nipple discharge test may also be done.
Doing a breast biopsy
After the above tests are done, the doctor may next order a biopsy. In this test, a small tissue is taken out from the breast and tested for cancer. If one wants to know for sure if there is breast cancer, this is the only test that is available.
Treatment of breast cancer
There are many levels and ways of getting treated for breast cancer. Each patient is unique in her needs and will need a specific treatment method. However, here are the most common treatments that are done to treat the disease:
- Surgery and radiation: This is the treatment method that treats the cancer. It is a local treatment and hence it does not affect the other parts of the body.
- Hormone treatment and chemotherapy: This is the treatment method which courses through the whole body. No matter where the cancer cells are, the medications and drugs reach them and destroy them.
Doctors will often decide to use a combination of local and whole-body treatments to treat a patient. There are several factors which decide what treatment will be right for a particular patient. Many times, lumpectomy is chosen to get rid of the cancerous breast so that there are no chances of the cancer spreading further.
Surgery for breast cancer
Deciding to go for surgery to treat the disease can be a tough decision for most women. There are various types of surgeries that are performed on patients depending on their needs and requirements. While lumpectomy is the procedure which gets the cancerous cells in the breasts out while preserving as much of the breasts as possible, mastectomy is the procedure which takes out the whole breast. While it may seem that mastectomy is the best idea to get all the cancerous cells out, the truth is that it really depends on the patient and what her exact condition is. It is best to talk to the cancer care team before making the choice.
For breast cancer lumpectomy, choosing the right surgeon is crucial for satisfactory results. Breast cancer is curable and there is life after it.
