Studies show that about one out of every eight women will experience some form of breast cancer in their lifetime and may even be forced to go for a breast cancer surgery. The statistics for the year 2010 showed that there were about 207,000 cases of invasive breast cancer that were recorded whereas the cases of non-invasive cancer were 54,000. Breast cancer reconstruction is an optional surgical procedure for breast cancer patients. However, most of the women who have undergone breast cancer surgery prefer to add the reconstruction as part of their recovery process. In the same year, 2010, more than 93,000 breast cancer reconstructions were done which was a 20 percent increase as compared to the year before that. The matter of breast reconstruction has been critical to women since the late 90’s as seen by the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights that was passed in the year 1988. This law includes the issue that all the medical institutions that offer the breast cancer surgery should also offer their patients a reconstruction treatment. The surgical reconstruction should aim at giving symmetry to the two breasts as well as refining the shape and size of the breasts. In some cases, the reconstruction also aims at recreating the woman’s nipple and makes them as natural and attractive as possible.
For most breast cancer patients, the breast cancer treatment will involve three phases. The first phase is the psychological part that involves the removal of the tumor by a surgeon in a breast cancer surgery. The surgeon will either perform a mastectomy or a lumpectomy surgery. The mastectomy involves removal of all the tissues of the breasts from the chest of the patient. The lumpectomy surgery will involve the tumor removal or just a small amount of the tissues surrounding the area. In some cases, radiotherapy may be done alongside the breast cancer surgery so as to ensure any of the cancerous cells that remain are destroyed completely. The type of surgery that will be performed is determined by the size of the breast, the size of the tumor and the patient’s own decision after understanding what both procedures include. On the other hand, the use of radiotherapy in the procedure will be determined by the size of the tumor, its characteristics as well as the type of surgery that is performed.
The second phase of the treatment will involve the pharmacological part of the treatment. In this phase chemotherapy is performed on the patient. The patient may also be put under medication that aims at modulating the hormones in her body. This is to avoid any recurrence. This phase can take as long as a month to a year depending on the body response of the patient to surgery. The length of this period will also be determined by the choice of chemotherapy as well as the characteristics of the tumor.
The final phase is also psychological and involves all the activities done to help the woman recover from the breast cancer surgery. Studies have shown that one of the best ways to help the woman cope with the cancer is through breast reconstruction. It is because of this fact that most women prefer undergoing a breast cancer reconstruction since it is legal and will go a long way in determining the success of the breast cancer surgery.
The breast reconstruction can be performed either immediately after the surgery or after months or years later depending on the patient. There are several ways that a woman’s breast can be reconstructed but they all fall into two categories. There is the flap reconstruction and the implant reconstruction. The implant reconstruction is more common among patients. In some cases, the patient might even opt for both of the procedure to be performed.
Whichever procedure that is used for the breast reconstruction, the results are always more or less similar. In some instance, the implant can be done during surgery and save you the cost of having to undergo two surgeries. However, it will always remain as the decision of the surgeon after consulting the patient. In conclusion, breast reconstruction goes a long way in assisting women who have undergone a breast cancer surgery to recover both physically and psychologically.
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