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» Lumpectomy or mastectomy - the advantages and disadvantages
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Lumpectomy or mastectomy - the advantages and disadvantages
Lumpectomy or mastectomy - the advantages and disadvantages
Today, women with breast cancer have a choice between the complete removal of the affected gland (mastectomy) or conserving surgery (lumpectomy) followed by a course of radiotherapy. Although most women prefer to choose a less mutilation, the choice of surgery depends on many factors, which include:
There or not the patient contraindications for radiotherapy
Will the woman to reconstructive surgery of the breast,
How important is it to save the patient's breast,
How to help reduce anxiety women mastectomy for recurrent cancer.
It should be noted is the fact that women living in the U.S. are more likely to choose a mastectomy.
Operationlumpectomy (removal of breast cancer) in combination with radiotherapy gives equivalent results as mastectomy in the case where a woman has a tumor in only one area of the breast and the size of less than 4 cm, and removing it with clean edges.
The main advantage of lumpectomy is that it retains some form of female breast and sensitivity. Lumpectomy - a less invasive surgery compared to mastectomy, so the recovery period after it is shorter and milder. However, it has its drawbacks:
After surgery, the woman should undergo a course of radiotherapy for 5 - 7 weeks for the complete destruction of cancer cells.
In women who underwent lumpectomy, compared with those who underwent mastectomy, the risk of local recurrence of breast cancer later.
In case of recurrence or new breast cancer in the same place where the lumpectomy was performed with radiation therapy, repeated exposure to radiation is transferred, it is harder.
Some patients are willing to mastectomy for the sake of peace. At the same time as radiation therapy may be required, depending on the results of histological examination of tissue removed.
In a mastectomy, there are three major drawbacks:
This operation takes longer and is more extensive, characterized by a large number of side effects, rather than lumpectomy and long-term postoperative period.
After this operation, a woman loses her breast.
If, as happens in most cases, after a mastectomy, you are thinking about reconstructive surgery, you will have additional surgery, and possibly in several stages.
Mastectomy with preservation of the skin (skin-sparing mastectomy)
Begin the development of this operation dates back to 1986. This technique, as is evident from the very naming, allows to achieve the best results when followed by reconstructive breast surgery. During this operation the skin is removed only in the nipple, areola and cutting biopsy for the prevention of further spread of cancer. The rest of the skin makes it much better the effect of reconstructive surgery, as the local tissues, and with the use of silicone transplants.
If the patient does not intend to carry out reconstructive surgery after mastectomy, the surgeon removes as much of the skin to the surface of breast cancer and postoperative scar was flat. However, if a woman has the intention to carry out reconstructive surgery, the surgeon can perform a mastectomy with preservation of the skin.
It should be pointed to the fact that this type of mastectomy is not acceptable in the case of migration to skin cancer, such as inflammatory breast cancer.
