Conquering Breast Cancer with Mastectomy

Health

Breast cancer is one of the most frightening diseases for women. Mastectomy Becomes one of the actions that are often taken to overcome it. then awhat exactly is a mastectomy?

Mastectomy is the surgical removal of the breast. Now mastectomy is not only done as an action for breast cancer patients, but can also be done as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

Recognize Types of Mastectomy

Mastectomy can be performed on one breast or both. In the past, total breast removal was the standard of action for breast cancer. However, now there are several types of mastectomy, including the following:

  • Radical Mastectomy

    This type of mastectomy is becoming increasingly rare. This action will lift the entire breast including the nipple. A radical mastectomy also removes the skin over the top of the breast, the muscles below and the lymph nodes.

  • Modified radical mastectomy

    This mastectomy will remove the entire breast and lymph nodes under the armpit, but the chest muscles are generally preserved. Meanwhile, the skin on the top of the breast can be removed or left.

  • Partial mastectomy

    This procedure will remove the part of the breast affected by the tumor, then usually followed by radiation therapy to kill and prevent the spread of cancer cells. Partial mastectomy is generally performed for people with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer.

  • Preventive mastectomy

    This procedure is performed primarily on women with a high genetic risk of breast cancer. According to research, preventive mastectomy can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 90 percent in high-risk groups of women. This procedure can take the form of removing the breast and nipple as a whole or maintaining the presence of the nipple. Preventive mastectomy is also commonly performed in women who have breast cancer in one breast, then preventive measures are taken in the other breast.

When is a Mastectomy Performed?

Mastectomy is performed in several conditions, including non-invasive breast cancer of the breast tissue (Fig.ductal carcinoma in situ), early-stage breast cancer (1 and 2), stage 3 breast cancer after chemotherapy, inflammatory breast cancer after chemotherapy, recurrence of breast cancer and Paget's disease on the breast.

In addition, there are several conditions that are recommended for a mastectomy, such as:

  • Have inflammatory breast cancer (inflammatory breast cancer).
  • Have a tumor that is larger than 5 cm or a tumor that is relatively large compared to the size of the breast.
  • Have a serious connective tissue disease, such as scleroderma or lupus, which can increase your risk of side effects from radiotherapy.
  • Have had radiotherapy treatment for the breast.
  • Having two or more cancers in the same breast, but not close enough to be removed together without changing the shape of the breast.
  • Are pregnant and will need radiotherapy while still pregnant (risk of harm to the fetus).
  • Having genetic factors such as a BRCA mutation, which increases the risk of developing breast cancer for both

Side effects Mastectomy

Mastectomy surgery is not risk free. Some time after a mastectomy, usually there is pain or swelling in the tissue around the chest. There will also be scars on the breasts along with changes in shape.

Common side effects include pain, swelling at the surgery site, formation of blood in the wound (hematoma), buildup of clear fluid in the wound (seroma), numbness in the chest or upper arm.

Nerve pain (neuropathic), sometimes described as burning or stabbing, in the chest wall, armpit, and/or arm, that doesn't go away with time. This condition is called PMPS (post-mastectomy pain syndrome).

As with all surgeries, bleeding and infection at the surgery site are possible. If the lymph nodes in the armpit are removed, other side effects can occur, such as lymphedema.

Many women have a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast to treat or prevent cancer. Breast shape improvement can be done using breast implants. However, it is necessary to consult with your doctor first, regarding the side effects of using implants.

Breast cancer is one type of cancer that has a high cure rate if treated immediately. If necessary, consider having a mastectomy after consulting your doctor.