Breast cancer may completely change your life. It can lower your self-esteem and confidence. It can also hurt your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is critical to get breast cancer surgery after consulting with your doctor.

In this article, Dr. Garvit Chitkara, a breast cancer specialist, discusses breast cancer surgery in Mumbai.

What is Breast Cancer Surgery?

Breast cancer surgery is a primary treatment for most types of breast cancer. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will suggest you get a surgery to remove the tumor. 

Sometimes the surgery is performed to remove a single tumor from your breast, or sometimes it is committed to removing your whole breast. Breast cancer surgery also involves the reconstruction of your breast after the surgery.

Dr. Garvit Chitkara is a renowned breast cancer specialist with over 14 years of experience. He is an expert in his field and has successfully treated many breast cancer patients. He performs breast cancer surgery in Mumbai.

Types of Breast Cancer Surgery                                                          

According to Dr. Chitkara, breast cancer surgery is divided into mastectomy and lumpectomy. Additional breast cancer procedures may involve lymph node removal, examination, and breast reconstructive surgery.

Mastectomy

The most common procedure for breast cancer is a mastectomy or breast removal. This is because it addresses both early and late-stage breast cancer. Plus, if you are at high risk of getting breast cancer in the future, mastectomy can be used as prevention.

Total mastectomy

It involves removing your whole breast, leaving only the chest muscle underneath.

Double mastectomy

Breasts are removed twice during a double mastectomy. This is required if cancer spreads to both breasts or can be used to prevent cancer from spreading. 

Skin or nipple-sparing mastectomy

All of your breast tissue is removed, but your skin and, if possible, your nipples are saved from being used in your breast reconstruction.

Modified radical mastectomy

A modified radical mastectomy removes breast tissue and lymph nodes under the arms. 

Radical mastectomy

A radical mastectomy involves the removal of the breasts, chest muscles, and underarm lymph nodes. You will need this procedure if your breast cancer has gone to your chest muscles.

Lumpectomy

Breast-conservation surgery, often known as a lumpectomy, is a treatment that removes only a piece of your breast tissue. For early-stage breast cancer, this is also an option. If the tumor is small and hasn’t spread yet, you can have surgery to remove the tumor’s lump. During a lumpectomy, a perimeter of surrounding tissue is also drawn to guarantee that no cancer cells remain in your breast.

The advantage of a lumpectomy is that you can keep most of your breasts. However, your doctor may tell you to get radiation therapy following the surgery to prevent cancer from returning. Radiation therapy is often avoided by having a complete mastectomy instead.

Excisional biopsy

This procedure is used to remove a tumor for biopsy. Analyzing cancer in the lab can help your doctor determine if it is cancerous or not.

Wide local excision

A malignant tumor and a perimeter of tissue around it are removed during a wide local excision. After that, this tissue will be examined to ensure it is cancer-free.

Quadrantectomy

A quarter of your breast, including the duct-lobular system, is removed during a segmental mastectomy. It’s utilized if the tumor has progressed to the ducts.

Re-excision lumpectomy

It is a procedure performed after the first excision of the tissue and the tissue margin surrounding it.

Lymph Node Surgery

Breast cancer surgery requires a thorough examination of the lymph nodes to determine whether the disease has spread. This is often done at the original surgery, although it can also be done afterward. There are two forms of lymph node surgery for breast cancer:

Dissection of the axillary lymph nodes (ALND)

The surgeon removes 10 to 20 lymph nodes beneath the arm. Cancer screenings are performed on specific individuals.

Sentinel lymph node Biopsy

The surgeon locates and removes the lymph node from which the breast cancer is most likely to have spread. Compared to an ALND, this procedure is less likely to cause lymphedema or arm swelling.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema occurs when the lymph veins or nodes through which the fluid flows are missing, damaged or removed.

Advantages

The following are the benefits of breast cancer surgery, according to Dr. Chitkara:

Mastectomy

Because you will not need radiation after the mastectomy, you may feel more confident that your cancer will not recur.

If your cancer recurs, you can undergo radiation in the exact location.

Lumpectomy

Only the malignant area is excised: Attempts to save most breast tissue are less intrusive to your body than a mastectomy. Only a few weeks of recovery are required.

Risks

Breast cancer surgery is safe, but it does include some risks, says Dr. Chitkara. There are risks can consist of:

• Infection
• Pain
• Bleeding
• Permanent scars
• Issues in the healing of wounds
• Swelling of arm
• Problems related to anesthesia like muscle aches and vomiting

Conclusion: 

When deciding on breast cancer surgery, you may have many questions concerning the procedure and therapy. It is critical to consult with your doctor to acquire a clear picture. It is essential to eradicate cancer from your breasts before it spreads to your other organs. 

You can visit Dr. Garvit Chitkara for breast cancer surgery in Mumbai.