Breast cancer is a malignant tumor located in the gland of the breast. In the vast majority of cases, women are affected, but very rarely also men.
The triggering factors cannot be clearly defined. Breast cancer usually occurs spontaneously without any recognizable cause. However, there are risk factors that favor the occurrence of breast cancer and other types of cancer, including
A diagnosis of breast cancer by a gynecologist means that there is a tumor in your breast.
If there are symptoms such as hardening or lumps in the breast, surgery is usually performed. Surgery is the safest way to remove the tumor and cure you. If doctors do not remove the tumor, it will enlarge over time and become more problematic.
Doctors surgically remove the diseased tissue during the procedure. Despite the urgency of the matter, you always have time to prepare and adjust to the treatment in peace. This also includes a detailed consultation and information about the respective options.
In some cases, neoadjuvant therapy (Greek: neo = new, Latin: adiuvare = support) takes place before the cancer operation in order to reduce the size of the breast tumor in advance.
This involves chemotherapy or anti-hormone therapy before the operation. This is mainly used for advanced stage tumors that are particularly aggressive.
The respective surgical procedure depends on the type and size of the tumor and the patient's personal wishes.
The following options are possible:
If desired, plastic surgery can be used to reconstruct the breast afterwards (breast reconstruction).
Around 13 out of 100 women will develop breast cancer in the course of their lives @ Pixel-Shot /AdobeStock
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer by your treating doctor, the focus is on a customized therapy for you. The different types of cancer affect either the mammary glands (lobular) or the milk ducts (ductal).
The aim of any treatment is to achieve a complete cure. In most situations, surgery is unavoidable in order to remove the diseased tissue. Surgery is considered the most important measure in the overall treatment plan.
In principle, the stage of the disease determines which therapy is appropriate. Age and general state of health are also decisive factors.
It is also important whether the disease is a first diagnosis or a recurrence (relapse). Regardless of the type of treatment, the complete destruction of the tumor cells is crucial for recovery.
Whether surgery is performed after drug therapy depends on your individual initial situation.
Another treatment goal is to preserve the breast. The prerequisite for this is the size of the tumor. In the case of breast-conserving surgery, radiotherapy is usually also used. This ensures that existing cancer cells are killed and improves the chances of recovery.
Breast cancer specialists belong to different specialties. As a rule, they are gynecologists and gynecologic oncologists. They often also have additional training in breast reconstruction.
Specialists from the fields of plastic surgery and reconstructive aesthetic surgery are also involved.
In oncology, there are two surgical options for breast cancer:
Breast-conserving therapy (BET) involves the complete removal of the tumor and the lymph nodes in the armpit. 75% of breast cancer patients receive this treatment.
A tumor that is significantly too large in relation to the breast is considered an exclusion criterion for breast-conserving surgery. In this case, doctors remove the breast completely (mastectomy). In many cases, breast reconstruction is then possible. Often even in a single operation.
Removing the lymph nodes from the armpit is important to determine whether the cancer has spread to the lymphatic system.
While doctors used to have to remove numerous lymph nodes for this purpose, today the doctor only removes the sentinel lymph node. This is the lymph node closest to the tumor. If it is free of tumor cells, this also applies to the downstream nodes.
Scars in the breast area heal better than on other parts of the body and fade considerably over time @ srisakorn /AdobeStock
As with any surgery, well-treatable complications are possible in rare individual cases, such as
If you have had breast-conserving surgery, this will be followed by radiotherapy. The sole purpose of this is to prevent new tumor growth in the operated region.
After the operation, physiotherapy exercises are often prescribed to help eliminate the movement restrictions in the shoulder-arm area in a timely manner.
The removal of lymph nodes from the armpit often leads to water retention (lymph) in the affected arm.
Manual lymph drainage ensures pain-free drainage of the lymph fluid. Lymph drainage is usually carried out by physiotherapists.
As part of medical care, regular examinations are important in the first few years after treatment. This allows a new tumor (recurrence) to be detected and treated at an early stage.
The intervals are initially every three months, later every six months. Your treating gynecologist is the contact person for these appointments.
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will inform and advise you about your treatment options. In most cases, surgery is the safest way to completely remove the tumor.
Take the time to get all your questions answered about the procedure and aftercare options.
For more information, visit the informative breast cancer guide from the University Women's Hospital in Tübingen.
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