Mastectomy

In medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer.

Breast cancer reoperation after breast conserving surgery

1 in 5 women with breast cancer has a reoperation after breast conserving surgery — And more needs to be done to inform them about this risk – One in five women with breast cancer who opt for breast conserving surgery rather than a mastectomy have a reoperation. This information on the risk of reoperation should help women in making the decision about whether to undergo breast conserving surgery or mastectomy.

Additional breast surgery common after partial mastectomy

Study finds substantial variability in rate of additional surgery after partial mastectomy – Nearly one in four women who undergo a partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer have another surgery to remove additional tissue (reexcision), and there is substantial surgeon and institutional variation in the rate of reexcisions that cannot be explained by patients’ clinical characteristics.

7% breast cancer patients have breast reconstruction surgery

Most breast cancer patients do not have breast reconstruction surgery – Breast reconstruction surgery has a very positive effort on women with breast cancer as they go through their breast cancer journey. Only 7% of female breast cancer patients opt for breast reconstruction surgery.

Many advanced breast cancer patients do not receive recommended treatment

Nearly half of women with advanced breast cancer in the US not receiving life-saving treatment – UT MD Anderson research finds use of post-mastectomy radiation therapy static despite evidence-based guidelines of its benefits – Forty-five percent of women with advanced breast cancer in the U.S. did not receive postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) despite the publication of evidence-based guidelines outlining PMRT as a potentially lifesaving treatment, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study, published in the July issue of Cancer, found that PMRT use rates for women with advanced breast cancer have remained static since 1999.

Higher breast density increases breast cancer risk

Breast density linked to increased risk of subsequent breast cancer – Researchers at Kaiser Permanente have found that patients with a very early form of breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS) who have higher mammographic density may be at increased risk for subsequent breast cancer, especially in the breast opposite to the one with the initial cancer.

Preventive cancer surgeries save women’s lives

Preventive cancer surgeries save women’s lives — Genetic testing is critical for women with family history of ovarian and breast cancers – A new study underscores the importance for women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer to get genetic counseling and testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that make them more likely to develop lethal breast or ovarian cancer, says a Northwestern Medicine oncologist.

49% breast cancer patients adhere to hormonal therapy regimen

Fewer than half of breast cancer patients adhere to hormonal therapy regimen, study finds – A new study of nearly 8,800 women with early-stage breast cancer found that fewer than half ? approximately 49 percent ? completed their full regimen of hormone therapy according to the prescribed schedule.

Estrogen lowering drugs minimize surgery in breast cancer patients

Estrogen-lowering drugs minimize surgery in breast cancer patients – A US study has confirmed the benefit of giving estrogen-lowering drugs before surgery to breast cancer patients. The treatment increased the likelihood that women could undergo breast-conservation surgery, also called lumpectomy, instead of mastectomy.

Health Newstrack