Once cancer is diagnosed, your surgeon will review
different treatment options with you, helping you to
make an informed decision. An individualized plan will
be developed based on your medical needs, general health,
personal preferences, and other factors. Your plan may
include any of the following:
Surgery
Lumpectomy
A lumpectomy is surgery to remove the breast tumor and
a small amount of surrounding normal tissue.
Mastectomy
A mastectomy is the surgical removal of the entire breast.
There are three different types of mastectomies:
- Simple or total mastectomy - surgeons do not cut
away any lymph nodes or muscle tissue
- Modified radical mastectomy - surgeons remove the
breast and some armpit lymph nodes
- Radical mastectomy - surgeons remove the breast,
axillary lymph nodes and chest wall muscles under
the breast
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction is surgery to rebuild the breast
after a mastectomy. A breast implant or your own tissue
may be used to reconstruct the breast. Reconstruction
can be done at the same time as the mastectomy or any
time later.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
In a sentinel node biopsy, a radioactive substance is
injected into the area around the tumor. Lymphatic vessels
carry these materials to the sentinel lymph node (the
first lymph node to which the cancer is likely to spread).
The doctor can see the blue dye or detect the radioactivity
in the sentinel node, which is removed and examined.
If the sentinel node contains cancer, more axillary
lymph nodes (lymph nodes in the armpit) are removed.
Axillary Lymph Node Dissection
If a sentinel node biopsy shows that the sentinel node
(the first lymph node to which the cancer is likely
to spread) is cancerous, axillary lymph nodes (lymph
nodes in the armpit) will need to be removed. This is
a surgical procedure that can determine if breast cancer
has spread to those nodes and to remove any cancerous
lymph nodes.
Non-Surgical Treatments
Medical
Oncology
Your surgeon may suggest that you see a medical oncologist
who can prescribe an appropriate chemotherapy or hormone
therapy regimen. To learn more about the medical oncology
services at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center,
visit Medical
Oncology
Radiation
Oncology
Your surgeon may refer you to a radiation oncologist
who can prescribe an appropriate radiation therapy regimen.
To learn more about the radiation oncology services
at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center, visit
Radiation
Oncology
