Cancer Treatment - Treatment Options: Surgery.

The prospect of surgery is never pleasant. But fortunately, breast cancer surgery today is more targeted than in years past. That leads to less scarring and quicker recovery, at the same time providing an effective treatment to lower the odds of recurrence.

Diagnostic tools are more precise and the disease is better understood. Traditional options still largely apply, but employing them is no longer automatic. Each case is unique and individually analyzed. The breast cancer patient has choices and is an active participant in the decision making process.

A common surgery option is a lumpectomy. Just as it sounds a lumpectomy is a surgery in which the clump causing the cancer is removed. There are a large range of choices when getting a lumpectomy. The amount of tissues that are removed from around the clump vary. Surgeons typically make the decision regarding how much of a reduction is needed to reduce the chances of recurring cancer.

Depending upon the location and size of the tumor and how long the tumor has been growing and developing one or more lymph nodes might be removed in the process of a lumpectomy. Lymph nodes are bean-sized glands that are shaped like oval. They operate as part of a system that runs throughout an individual's body. Lymph nodes are necessary in the immune system. They fight bacteria and foreign body invasion.

Once a cancer reaches a lymph node it can easily and rapidly spread through the body by means of the vessels connecting all the lymph nodes. When or if that happens, the cancer becomes much more difficult to treat. Often chemotherapy or radiation treatment is called for at this stage.

To reduce the chances that this occurs a surgeon will typically remove one or more of the lymph nodes located close to a cancerous tumor. Lab tests are conducted to check to see if the cancer has spread throughout the body. Once again each case is different and the treatment options should be discussed with a patients medical team.

Like other cancer types breast cancer also develops in different stages. The stages are determined by size and tumor type, and also tumor location. When breast cancer reaches a point that it is necessary surgery beyond a lumpectomy might be required. The patient and the doctor could determine that a partial or segmental mastectomy is needed.

During this particular procedure the patient has a significant amount of breast tissue removed. In many cases radiation therapy might also be used as part of the treatment plan and it is usually used for six to eight weeks. The goal of the oncologist is to be sure that all of the cancer was removed or that any cancerous tissue that the surgeon was unable to remove is completely destroyed through radiation.

In more extreme cases, which are fortunately recommended much less often today, a mastectomy may be performed. Most or all of the breast is removed. When no lymph nodes are taken, the procedure is called a simple or total mastectomy. When all the breast tissue is removed, along with the nipple and lymph nodes in the armpit, the surgery is termed a modified radical mastectomy.

When the surgeon is forced to remove the chest wall muscles also the procedure is referred to as a radical mastectomy. Luckily this action is extreme and usually not necessary today. When it is required reconstructive surgery and prosthetics can often be used to restore an individuals appearance completely.

A person's length of stay in the hospital will vary depending upon the treatment that they undergo. These treatments can vary anywhere from outpatient surgery where a person is released the same day to a week for procedures that might be more intense. You have to find a physician that is willing to work with you to answer any and all of your questions in terms you will understand. This is the first step to ensuring for yourself proper treatment.