Mastectomy Surgery – What to expect?

A mastectomy surgery is conducted for breast removal in case of cancer presence. Earlier, a radical mastectomy surgery that involves totally removing the breast was deemed the benchmark course followed to treat breast cancer. However, medical advancements in the last twenty years have offered women a wide-array of choices than what was previously obtainable. Breast-conserving treatment is one of the choices wherein a woman has the choice of going in for less-invasive and analogous effectual treatment methods.

The apt form of mastectomy surgery and treatment in case of breast cancer is based on numerous key aspects comprising of age, menopausal status, tumor staging and size, overall health condition, tumor grading (how aggressive the tumor is), hormone receptor status of the tumor and if/not lymph nodes have been affected.

Mastectomy surgery presently obtainable is of the following types:

• Preventive Mastectomy
  Women at elevated heritable or family breast cancer risk could opt for undergoing preventive or prophylactic mastectomy. It may be a total mastectomy involving total elimination of the breast as well as nipple or a subcutaneous mastectomy wherein solely breast removal is done while sparing the nipple.

Research has shown that breast cancer incidence could be lessened by ninety percent or more following preventive mastectomy among women having an elevated risk of breast cancer. At times, women diagnosed with the disease which has affected a single breast would elect to undergo preventive mastectomy for removal of the other breast as it lowers the likelihood of cancer recurring. In a number of scenarios, removal of both breasts is done known as double mastectomy.

• Partial Mastectomy
  This procedure is conducted by surgeons in case of those women diagnosed with stage I or II of breast cancer. Partial mastectomy is a breast-sparing treatment involving partial removal of the breast that contains the tumor. Radiation therapy often ensues after this procedure for the remnant breast tissue as its potent X-rays are helpful in targeting some of the breast tissue, obliterating cancerous cells and preventing them from metastasizing.

Lumpectomy is performed for removal of merely the tumor and a little of the adjoining normal tissue area. In case cancer cells are detected afterwards, then the doctor would excise more of the tissue by a method known as re-excision.

Quadrantectomy is another form of partial mastectomy wherein removal of tumor and further amount of breast tissue is done employing lumpectomy.

In a number of scenarios, further surgical procedure is needed following a partial mastectomy. At times, in case cancer cells are still detected in the breast tissue then complete removal of the breast would become essential.

• Radical Mastectomy
  This procedure involves totally removing the breast, inclusive of the nipples. During the surgery, the superimposed skin is additionally removed along with the muscles located underneath the breast as well as the lymph nodes. As radical mastectomy is not more effectual as compared to less radical mastectomy types, hence it is conducted quite atypically.

Modified radical prostectomy (MRM) is another method used and is less traumatic in comparison to radical mastectomy and is the prevalent surgery for breast cancer treatment in the United States.

During modified radical mastectomy, total removal of the breast alongside the lymph node located in the armpit is done, however sparing the pectoral muscles. The skin that covers the chest wall may or may not be spared. The breast reconstructive method would ensue after this procedure and is conducted by a plastic surgeon.

Alongside mastectomy procedure for tumor removal, the surgeon would ascertain whether breast cancer metastasis has occurred known as staging. Following cancer staging being done, the surgeon would recommend apt follow-up therapy that could comprise of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and optionally medicines.

Several women opt to commence breast reconstructive surgeon soon after mastectomy, but substitute risks have to be taken into consideration.

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