Surgery Notes

Posts Tagged ‘breast cancer’

What is breast cancer or breast cancer?

Breast cancer, a common cancer in women, is a disease in which cells are cancerous (malignant) breast tissues. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes, which in turn are divided into smaller sections called lobules. The lobes and lobules are connected by thin tubes called ducts. Intraductal cancer, the most common type of breast cancer is found in cells of the ducts. Cancer that begins in the lobes or lobules is called lobular cancer. Lobular cancer is the cancer most often affects both breasts. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of cancer. In this disease, is observed within hot, red and swollen.

Hereditary breast cancer comprises about 5% to 10% of all breast cancer cases. The genes in cells carry the genetic information inherited from parents. Genes have been found defective in several cancer patients. Relatives of breast cancer patients carrying these defective genes are at greater risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. Some defective genes are more common in certain ethnic groups. They are developing tests to identify carriers of this genetic defect before the cancer appears. See the PDQ document on testing for breast and cervical cancer prevention for more information. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most widespread myths that exist about mammoplasty augmentation is that the implants are placed in the breast could cause breast cancer. This has not been scientifically proven by any study, so its validity is excluded. However, breast implants if they can interfere with the detection of breast cancer.

Experts say that implants can make it harder on palpation of the breasts to detect lumps, and can also make it harder for the review of a mammogram to detect cancer. The images obtained from mammography are more difficult to interpret because the cancer may be obscured or blurred due to the presence of the implant in the chest.

In case you have implants placed, a doctor can perform a number of specific images that allow you to see your breasts from different angles. But to do so, you might have to visit a specialized facility with experience in mammography of women with breast implants. Your doctor may recommend other imaging tests – such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – to check for signs of breast cancer. Generally insurance companies do not cover this type of study, so please consider this carefully before realizarte one breast augmentation.

October is considered worldwide as the month of breast cancer. In many countries, organized campaigns aimed at the female population with the aim of promoting actions of information and advice about the disease and its early detection.

The alarming number of women with cancer in Mexico has increased, so that it has been positioned as the second leading cause of female mortality after cardiovascular diseases, which, in part because currently most commonly detected.

It is estimated that those who suffer from this disease lose 21 years of potential life, because the average age at which die from this disease is 57 years, while life expectancy of a healthy woman is 78 years.

Therefore, awareness campaigns are very important to call attention to a condition that many women feel very far in their lives. Early diagnosis allows for a 10-year survival in 90 percent of the cases, whereas it is only 2 percent when they are diagnosed in later stages.

Technology and the large amount of drugs that have been created providing new hope for preventing and controlling breast cancer, while it is important that women learn to explore the breasts to be able to detect any abnormal lump that indicates the need medical care in order to obtain a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Thus, it is advisable to seek the advice of health personnel trained in the techniques of breast self-examination and go to regular review. The doctor-patient relationship remains indispensable for information, early detection and treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

When cancer is found in the breast of a woman, a relatively common surgical treatment if the cancer is aggressive or is advanced is the mastectomy. Mastectomy is the removal of breast tissue by the presence of a cancerous tissue or pre-cancerous. The amount of tissue removed during mastectomy varies and depends on many factors including: the size and stage of cancer, their anatomy and their personal preferences.
There are 3 types of mastectomy are performed most often by surgical oncologists skilled in Mammary Gland: a modified radical mastectomy, which removes the breast tissue including in these nipple areola tissue and lymph nodes found in the armpit same side. This procedure leaves intact the pectoralis major muscle that lies behind it and over the chest wall. There is also a simple mastectomy in which only removes the breast tissue and lymph nodes occasionally. Finally there is a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy in which only the tumor tissue is excised and local inflammation, leaving as much breast tissue in place.

Women who undergo a mastectomy, most of them are good candidates for breast reconstruction. The reasons for choosing a reconstruction of this type can be many. After a mastectomy, many patients feel a loss of integrity or a deterioration of their femininity that breast reconstruction can restore.

The reconstruction can be performed using a variety of methods:
1. Can be made using the same body’s own tissue of women (flaps)

2. Using medical implants (silicone implants or saline).

3. Using a combination of both methods.

The proper method for you depends on the type of mastectomy that was done, the stage of cancer at the time of discovery, the experience of Surgical Oncologists and if there is a plastic surgeon who has extensive experience in breast reconstruction and finally the type of monitoring and post-surgical care that you have to have under your health and possibilities.