How to Explore Surgery for Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast cancer is a condition in which malignant cells reproduce and create masses within the breasts. Surgery is a treatment option for those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgeries for breast cancer can include biopsies (removing a bit of the mass to determine whether it's cancerous or not), lumpectomies (removing the mass) and mastectomies (removing the breast). Whatever procedure you are contemplating, you'll want to know what to expect.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Learn who is at risk of developing breast cancer. Women who have family members diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 are at risk, as are women who smoke.

2. Understand the different types of breast cancer surgery. Some surgeries will involve removing lymph nodes to check if they are cancerous. A lumpectomy removes a tumor and a small amount of surrounding breast tissue. A mastectomy involves removing part or all of a breast. A radical mastectomy also involves removing some surrounding muscle and lymph nodes.

3. Seek a second opinion from a surgeon or oncologist not affiliated with your primary doctor. Opinions about surgery can vary dramatically from doctor to doctor, and it never hurts to know all of your options. It could mean the difference between a partial and full mastectomy.

4. Explore the side effects and lifestyle changes that surgery will cause and require. Also explore other types of treatments. You have the right to participate in your healing process. A bit of information may cause you to seek out complementary therapies that can really make a difference and put you back in control of the disease.

5. Ask if you can have reconstructive surgery simultaneously if you are having a mastectomy. This can prevent you from having to undergo two surgeries, and you can avoid the shock of living without a breast.

6. Expect to take several weeks to recover from a mastectomy and about a week for a lumpectomy. You'll want loose, comfortable clothing ready for you at home, as well as soft pillows to support you as you sleep. Lumpectomy patients will also need a very supportive bra to keep the breasts from moving. Sports bras work particularly well.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your doctor to describe the proposed surgery in detail. Ask whether you are going to have a lumpectomy (removing the tumor) or a mastectomy (removing the breast). Often, physicians assume that patients know more than they do about procedures. They sometimes forget to walk a patient step-by-step through the process.
• Visit the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Web site for a description of how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to employees suffering from cancer (see Resources below).
• Waiting for test results can result in undue mental stress on the patient. One good way to reduce that mental stress is to schedule your tests so that you don't have to wait over a weekend for results. Ask your doctor how long in usually takes to get the results and then schedule the tests so that results are returned when it's more convenient for you.

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