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| Breast
Cancer And Treatment |
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| Treatment
Options |
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| Why do I need surgery? |
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Surgery is used to remove the cancerous area from the breast. During
the surgery, some of the lymph nodes under the arm may be taken
out to be examined under the microscope to check for presence of
cancer cells. This will help the doctor to decide whether other
forms of treatment are needed. Numbness and discomfort can be felt
on the inside of your arm after the surgery.
After the surgery wound is healed, you may be referred to see an
oncologist for consideration of other treatments, e.g. chemotherapy
or hormonal therapy.
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| What is Breast Conserving Surgery? |
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| It is an operation that removes only the cancerous
lump with some surrounding breast tissue. Some lymph nodes under your
arm may be removed to help determine whether you need further treatment
such as chemotherapy. |
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| After the surgery, |
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There will be a scar on the
breast and another scar under your arm. |
Breast conversion
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There may be one or two drains
inserted near the wound to remove excess fluid. |
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A small dent can be felt in
the breast, but the appearance is good in most women. |
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Most patients do not need to
change the size of their bra, and their clothing style can remain
the same. |
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About 10% to 20% of the patients
may require a second surgery. This occurs if the examination
of the removed breast tissue shows that cancer were present
at the edge of the tissue. |
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| After breast conserving surgery, you will be required
to undergo radiotherapy treatment for about six weeks.
This is to treat the entire breast. Breast conserving surgery with
radiation therapy has been found to be as effective as total mastectomy. |
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| What is Mastectomy? |
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It is an operation to remove the whole breast,
including the nipple. Some lymph nodes under your arm may
be removed, to help determine whether you need further treatment
such as chemotherapy. After the surgery, the skin will be
flat on one side of the chest. There will be 2 drains inserted
near the wound under the arm to remove excess fluid.
For some patients, mastectomy may be the most appropriate
surgery because the cancerous lump is large in proportion
to the breast, or there are many areas of cancer cells present
in different parts of the breast. The surgeon will explain
in greater details for individuals who have this unique condition.
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Mastectomy |
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| Some patients, depending on their
conditions, who require mastectomy, may have the option of reconstructing
their breast. This can be done at the same time when the breast
is being removed. The reconstructed breast may be done using
either an artificial implant or tissue from another part of
your body. You may like to discuss this with your surgeon, or
your Breast Care Nurse, and he or she can arrange for you to
talk to a doctor who performs this surgery.
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| What is Radiotherapy? |
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| Radiotherapy is the use of high energy radiation
to kill cancer cells within the treated area. Radiotherapy is used
after the surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the breast.
Your radiotherapy treatment will be daily, except for weekends and
public holidays. It will last for five to six weeks. Most women find
that they feel well during the radiotherapy and some continue to work
full time. However, those who feel tired may need more time to rest. |
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| Some of the common side effects may include: |
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Redness or tanning of the skin
that is treated. |
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Breast becomes firmer. |
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Increased tiredness. |
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| These side effects are short-term. Six months to
a year after the end of radiotherapy, the skin on the radiated breast
usually recovers to its original appearance. However, the firmness
usually persists. |
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| What is Chemotherapy? |
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| Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer
cells, which may have escaped from the original tumour. These drugs
may be taken orally or through a needle in a vein. These drugs enter
into the bloodstream, travel through the whole body and it can destroy
cancer cells throughout the body. Besides destroying cancer cells,
chemotherapy also affects the normal cells. |
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| Common side effects may include: |
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Hair loss |
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Nausea & vomiting |
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Mouth ulcer |
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Anaemia |
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Increased chance of developing infections |
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| What is Hormone Therapy? |
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You may have hormone therapy if the cancer tumour
is found to have hormone receptors for estrogen and progesterone.
Hormone therapy is used to block the hormone receptors, preventing
the hormones from getting to the tumours, thus stopping the growth
of the tumour.
The most common form of hormonal treatment is the use of Tamoxifen.
It is taken over a period of five years for it to be most effective.
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| Common side effects may include: |
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Hot flushes |
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Indigestion |
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Mild nausea |
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