Mastectomy is a surgery to remove all the breast tissues without remainder, and this surgery is used to treat breast cancer. However, there are a few reasons and indications which might lead a breast cancer surgeon in Kolkata to suggest mastectomy over breast-conserving surgery, quite often to the dismay of patients. Yet medical reasons should be held absolute, and some states of malignancy indeed demand the most drastic measures where very few rehabilitative or reconstructive options remain open.
In this article, we will take a close glimpse at the possible indications of mastectomy.
Indications for mastectomy:
The breast cancer doctor might advise a mastectomy if:
- You have several tumors created adjacent to each other on your breast.
- You have calcium deposits building up throughout almost all of your breast tissues, and these deposits are confirmed to be malignant through biopsy.
- Your breast cancer has previously failed to respond to radiation treatment.
- You have previously had a lumpectomy but without success, leaving carcinoma present on the edges of your breasts and, therefore, creating concern for the further spread of the malignancy.
- Your gene mutation exposes you to a heightened risk of a second breast cancer.
- When you have a large and bulky tumor spanning over most of your breast tissues, in this case, the lumpectomy might not find success, or a favorable cosmetic result might not be attained.
- You have a prior history of connective tissue diseases, like scleroderma or lupus, that can pose significant intolerance to radiation and hence block the possibility of a lumpectomy.
- There is also preventive mastectomy which you may consider if you have an extremely high risk of breast cancer.
- If you are pregnant and radiation poses a significant risk to both you and your baby, it is better to back away from any kind of radiation-aided surgery and instead undergo a mastectomy.
Mastectomy is a surgery to remove all the breast tissues without remainder, and this surgery is used to treat breast cancer. However, there are a few reasons and indications which might lead a breast cancer surgeon in Kolkata to suggest mastectomy over breast-conserving surgery, quite often to the dismay of patients. Yet medical reasons should be held absolute, and some states of malignancy indeed demand the most drastic measures where very few rehabilitative or reconstructive options remain open.
In this article, we will take a close glimpse at the possible indications of mastectomy.
Indications for mastectomy
The breast cancer doctor might advise a mastectomy if:
- You have several tumors created adjacent to each other on your breast.
- You have calcium deposits building up throughout almost all of your breast tissues, and these deposits are confirmed to be malignant through biopsy.
- Your breast cancer has previously failed to respond to radiation treatment.
- You have previously had a lumpectomy but without success, leaving carcinoma present on the edges of your breasts and, therefore, creating concern for the further spread of the malignancy.
- Your gene mutation exposes you to a heightened risk of a second breast cancer.
- When you have a large and bulky tumor spanning over most of your breast tissues, in this case, the lumpectomy might not find success, or a favorable cosmetic result might not be attained.
- You have a prior history of connective tissue diseases, like scleroderma or lupus, that can pose significant intolerance to radiation and hence block the possibility of a lumpectomy.
- There is also preventive mastectomy which you may consider if you have an extremely high risk of breast cancer.
- If you are pregnant and radiation poses a significant risk to both you and your baby, it is better to back away from any kind of radiation-aided surgery and instead undergo a mastectomy.
Though breast-conserving surgery is considered the most favorable surgery for breast cancer as it leaves space for cosmetic concern, in some high-risk cases, there is no alternative but mastectomy, a fact that can’t be negotiated considering all the pros and cons. Often, as mentioned earlier, a patient with a high risk of breast cancer may choose to undergo mastectomy proactively; the latter is called prophylactic or risk-reducing mastectomy. This kind of mastectomy is only considered when the patient has a strong family history of breast cancer or the tangible presence of genetic mutations. Reach out to a breast cancer surgeon today and find out what kind of surgery is most suitable for you.
Reach out to a breast cancer surgeon today and find out what kind of surgery is most suitable for you.