Mastectomy: What It Is, Risks, Benefits, Treatment and Procedure

Besides being very difficult to deal with, breast cancer is a very common and dangerous form of cancer in women. It is the second most common kind of cancer in women. 

1 in 8 women will have breast cancer at some point in their lives. This statistic means that a lot of people have been affected by this cancer. However, there is reason to be hopeful. 

Most recently, breast cancer survival rates have been going up. This is due to more and more people getting diagnosed at an earlier stage. It’s very important to take care of yourself so that you can live a normal life. 

While cancer will never be something someone wants to experience, breast cancer can be treated with timely diagnosis and treatment with proper medical care and breast cancer surgery.

What is Mastectomy?

Mastectomy is a procedure used to remove breast cancer to prevent it from spreading and to save the life of a patient. The main reason that the breast is removed is to completely eradicate the cancer cells in it. As a result, it is a process that is often followed by other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation.

Risks of Mastectomy

Mastectomy is a major surgery with a few potential risks:

1. Long-term effects of implants in the body
2. Excessive bleeding 
3. Disfigurement
4. Infection 
5. Shoulder and back pain
6. Swelling 
7. Pain
8. Infection 

Benefits

During mastectomy, the doctor removes the breast. There are many reasons why women decide to undergo this procedure. It can be used as a treatment for breast cancer or a preventative measure. 

The removal of a breast does not hinder a woman’s ability to live a healthy life, although it can be a traumatic experience. This is why counselling is highly recommended for women who have undergone a mastectomy. The patient will feel more confident about living life happily.

Treatment

Mastectomy treatment is a very emotionally straining procedure, one that can even affect your body’s state of health. That is why it is important to know the proper treatment procedures. 

Treatment can range from the removal of the whole breast to just the cancerous part. When undergoing treatment, it is important to follow the advice of the cancer specialist. There are things to watch out for during treatment, including signs of infection and cardiac arrest. 

Make sure you eat healthier, exercise, and have a better outlook on life. Treatment can be very strenuous on the body, so you need to give yourself plenty of time to recover.

The mastectomy treatment means removing a person’s breast tissue and possibly their nipple in case of breast cancer. This can usually be done by surgery, but sometimes radiation and chemotherapy are used first to make the procedure easier and ensure that cancer has not spread. This is called pre-mastectomy radiation therapy. 

Procedure

The patient is placed under a general anaesthetic, and the surgeon makes an incision in the breast in the area of cancer and removes all breast tissue, muscle and lymph nodes that may contain cancerous cells. 

The procedure is performed by a surgeon who will make both a vertical and a horizontal cut around the areola, then remove the cancerous cells, and finally cut down to the pectoral muscle. 

The skin is then stitched up, and the area is covered with a dressing. After the procedure, it might be a good idea to take some time to recover.

Also Read:- Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Mastectomy is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of the breast. It can be done for many reasons, including to remove cancerous breast tumours. 

Now that you know the risks, benefits, and procedures of mastectomy, you can make an informed decision about the treatment. There’s a lot of information to digest, but taking the time to research these things will give you a better understanding of the surgery.