Details of Breast Cancer Surgery

It is performed to treat breast cancer surgically that involves removing the cancer with an operation. This surgery may be done alone and sometimes along with chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and radiation therapy.

Types of breast cancer:

Ductal carcinoma in situ: In which the cancer cells are confined to the ducts in breast without any damage to the surrounding breast tissue.

Lobular carcinoma in situ: In which cancer cells grow in the milk-producing glands of your breast.

Invasive ductal carcinoma: In which the cancer cells start in the breast's milk ducts invading the surrounding breast tissues.

Invasive lobular carcinoma: In which cancer first develops in breast's lobules and starts invading nearby tissue.

May including:

• Breast lump or tissue thickening
• Breast pain
• Red skin around breast
• Swelling around breast 
• Nipple discharge
• Blood discharge
• Sudden change in the shape
• Peeling and scaling

May include: 

• Physical examination
• Mammogram
• Ultrasound
• Breast biopsy
• Blood tests

Treatment options:

Medication: If it is detected early, some treatments are designed to help kill particular abnormalities within cancer cells.

Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can be used to kill cancer cells and prevent them from growing. It can be injected into the body through veins.

Surgery: It may be used to treat breast cancer. Several types of surgery:

(a) Lumpectomy. It is performed to remove the tumor and surrounding tissues with zero damage to the rest.

(b) Mastectomy. It is performed to remove the entire breast.

(c) Sentinel node biopsy. It is performed to remove few of the lymph nodes that connect to the tumor.

(d) Axillary lymph node dissection. It is performed to remove additional lymph nodes. (e) Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.

May include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Seroma 
• Persistent pain 
• Permanent scaring 
• Delay healing 
• Arm swelling 
• Change in sensation