Types of Breast Cancer Surgeries

Oftentimes, surgery is done to treat or stop the progression of breast cancer. There are many types of breast cancer surgeries. Two of the most common breast cancer surgeries done in Atlanta is the lumpectomy and breast reconstruction. Some of the most common breast cancer surgeries are listed below:

Mastectomy - This is the surgical removal of the breast. A total mastectomy is the removal of the nipple and the breast tissue. A modified radical mastectomy is the removal of the lymph nodes under the breast, on the chest lining and the chest muscles, as well as the removal of the breast. A radical mastectomy is the removal of the chest muscles, lymph nodes and the breast.

Lumpectomy - This is a type of surgery that only removes the breast tumors and surrounding tissues. This surgery spares as much of the breast as possible.

Lymph node removal - This surgery is done to remove the affected lymph nodes. It may be done during a lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery. This is usually done, in part, to examine the lymph nodes. If the cancer is in the lymph nodes, there is a good chance that the breast cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.

Sentinel lymph node dissection - This is a fairly new surgical procedure that is done in place of the axillary lymph node dissection, which is the standard procedure. This surgery is used as an early detection for breast cancer.

Breast reconstruction - Tissue is taken from the abdomen and a flap is made to create a new breast.

Prophylactic mastectomy - This is an elective mastectomy to remove the breast to prevent breast cancer from occurring. This is sometimes done for people who have the breast cancer gene.

Prophylactic ovary removal - This surgery is done to prevent the production of estrogen, which seems to drive the growth of cancer cells.

Cryotherapy - This surgery is also known as cryosurgery; it is done by flash freezing the cancer cells to kill them. The water inside the cells is flash frozen into ice crystals; this procedure kills the cells.

Because symmetry is important to Atlanta's women, they have breast reconstruction to make the affected breast resemble to opposing breast. If you are going to have some kind of surgery to treat your breast cancer, your doctor should talk to you about all of your treatment options. To read more about breast cancer, click here and here.

Source:

Breastcancer.org