Women and Health:- Mastectomy due to breast cancer

What is mastectomy?

Mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast due to cancer cells. There are five different types of mastectomy: "simple" or "total" mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, partial mastectomy, and nipple-sparing mastectomy.

1."Simple" or "total" mastectomy

Simple or total mastectomy concentrates on the breast tissue itself:

The surgeon removes the entire breast, but does not remove olymph nodes in the underarm area. Sometimes, however, lymph nodes are occasionally removed because they happen to be located within the breast tissue taken during surgery.

No muscles are removed from beneath the breast.

Who usually gets simple or total mastectomy

A simple or total mastectomy is appropriate for women who are seeking prophylactic mastectomies that is, breast removal in order to prevent any possibility of breast cancer occurring.

2.Modified radical mastectomy

Illustration : Modified radical mastectomy.

Modified radical mastectomy involves the removal of both breast tissue and lymph nodes.The surgeon removes the entire breast. Axillary lymph node dissection is performed, during which the underarm lymph nodes are removed.

No muscles are removed from beneath the breast.

Who usually gets a modified radical mastectomy?

Most people with invasive breast cancer who decide to have mastectomies will receive modified radical mastectomies so that the lymph nodes can be examined. Examining the lymph nodes helps to identify whether cancer cells may have spread beyond the breast.

3.Radical mastectomy

Radical mastectomy is the most extensive type of mastectomy:

The surgeon removes the entire breast. The underarm lymph nodes are removed, the surgeon also removes the chest wall muscles under the breast.

Radical mastectomy illustration.

Who usually gets a radical mastectomy?

Today, radical mastectomy is recommended only when the breast cancer has spread to the chest muscles under the breast. Although common in the past, radical mastectomy is now rarely performed because in most cases, modified radical mastectomy has proven to be just as effective and less disfiguring.

4. Partial mastectomy

Partial mastectomy is the removal of the cancerous part of the breast tissue and some normal tissue around it. While lumpectomy is technically a form of partial mastectomy, more tissue is removed in partial mastectomy than in lumpectomy.

5. Nipple-sparing mastectomy

During nipple-sparing mastectomy, all of the breast tissue is removed, but the nipple is left alone.

Breast self-exam, or regularly examining your breasts on your own, can be an important way to find a breast cancer early, when it’s more likely to be treated successfully. While no single test can detect all breast cancers early, I believe that performing breast self-exam in combination with other screening methods can increase the odds of early detection.

Over the years, there has been some debate over just how valuable breast self-examination is in detecting breast cancer early and increasing the likelihood of survival but, American Cancer Society no longer recommends breast self-exam as a screening tool for women with an average risk of breast cancer.

However people still believe that breast self-examination is a useful and important screening tool, especially when used in combination with regular physical exams by a doctor, mammography, and in some cases ultrasound and/or MRI. Each of these screening tools works in a different way and has strengths and weaknesses.

Breast self-exam is a convenient, no-cost tool that you can use on a regular basis and at any age. I recommend that all women routinely perform breast self-exams as part of their overall breast cancer screening strategy.

Hope this will be insightful to many not only women but also men who can help their sister, mothers and daughters.

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