Surgery
Almost all women with breast cancer will have some type of surgery in the course of their treatment. The purpose of surgery is to remove as much of the cancer as possible, and there are many different ways that the surgery can be carried out. Some women will be candidates for what is called breast conservation therapy (BCT). In BCT, surgeons perform a lumpectomy which means they remove the tumor with a little bit of breast tissue around it, but do not remove the entire breast. BCT always needs to be combined with radiation therapy to make it an option for treating breast cancer. At the time of the surgery, the surgeon may also dissect the lymph nodes under the arm so the pathologist can review them for signs of cancer. Some patients will have a sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure first to determine if a formal lymph node dissection is required. Sometimes, the surgeon will remove a larger part (but not the whole breast), and this is called a segmental or partial mastectomy. This needs to be combined with radiation therapy as well. In early stage cancers (like stage I and II), BCT (limited surgery with radiation) is as effective as removal of the entire breast via mastectomy. The advantage of BCT is that the patient will not need a reconstruction or prosthesis, but will be able to keep her breast. Some patients with early-stage cancer prefer to have mastectomy, and this is an appropriate option as well..
More advanced breast cancers are usually treated with a modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy refers to removal of the entire breast, as well as and dissection of the lymph nodes under the arm. Sometimes, patients who have modified radical mastectomy will require radiation treatment afterwards to decrease the risk of the cancer coming back.
Some patients with DCIS will be candidates for BCT, while others will require modified radical mastectomy because of the size or distribution of DCIS cells. Most patients with DCIS who have a lumpectomy are treated with radiation therapy to prevent the local recurrence of DCIS (although some of these DCIS patients may be candidates for close observation after surgery). Patients with DCIS that have a mastectomy do not need to have the lymph nodes removed from under the arm.
Your surgeon can discuss your options and the pros and cons of your needed surgical procedures. Many women who have modified radical mastectomies choose to undergo a reconstruction. A patient who desires reconstruction should try to meet with a plastic surgeon before her mastectomy to discuss reconstruction options. For more information on breast reconstruction.
1 comment:
My wife had a DCIS diagnosis two years ago. Despite a very frightening looking MRI she turned her condition around with out surgery or radiation. We did a lot of research and are happy to share it with everyone with the same condition. Look for the book What your Doctor may not have told your about breast cancer. by Dr Lee and Dr. Zeva. Write me back at rachlis@inreach.com or crachlis@dhs.ca.gov and I will forward all the info I have at your request. I am currently working on a presentation of our anecdotal story.
The long and short of it is this condition is most often the result of an estrogen dominance that can be balanced with bio-identical progesterone cream, diet change (remove all processed food, pastas, breads, sugar and use organic foods, work toward homeostasis with vitamins, minerals, omega 3 &6 from fish oil. Clean other estrogen inducing chemicals from your home. My wife also participated in 6 weeks of a three month trial with Tamoxifen. So it is impossible to tell what had the impact but we are out of the surgery roll call for now. She also used ESSIAC tea, acupuncture, as well as yoga, meditation, and inner personal inquiry. So before going down the road of the current "standard of care" we recommend doing research. And remember DCIS is not Cancer.
Carcinoma means tumor. There is no tumor in DCIS.
Cancer is invasive. DCIS is contained (the meaning of in situ). This terminology is a misnomer.
We are not Dr's but our last MRI showed a major turn around in the DCIS. And our doc did not know what to do with it. She canceled our planned surgery.
40,000 women a year have surgery that they may not require. Please make informed decisions.
Post a Comment