Breast Cancer Surgery

A lumpectomy is a form of “breast-conserving” surgery that aims to preserve the breast by removing the tumor and some of the tissue that surrounds it. But the amount of tissue removed can vary greatly depending on the case. The majority of women who have the possibility to choose between mastectomy or lumpectomy prefer lumpectomy since it is less invasive. A lumpectomy is preformed with a less invasive penetration than traditional surgery procedures, therefore it reduces side effects, the risk of cutaneous flap necrosis, infections, postoperative pain, minimizes scarring and increases the quality of life due to its fast recovery. 

“It is a procedure performed to treat breast cancer by removing the entire breast through surgery. It’s often done when a woman cannot undergo breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), which spares most of the breast tissue. It can also be done if a woman chooses a mastectomy over breast-conserving surgery for personal reasons. Women at very high risk of getting cancer for the second time sometimes choose to have a double mastectomy, which implies the removal of both breasts.” Some women are also candidates to have a nipple-sparing (preserving) mastectomy, and most women can also get immediate breast reconstruction depending on the case.

Mastectomy. (2017, September 13).  Retrieved from
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/surgery-for-breast-cancer/mastectomy.html

A lymph is a clear fluid that contains white cells and travels through the body’s arteries, circulates through tissues to cleanse them, and then drains them through the lymphatic system. Lymph nodes are the filters along the lymphatic system. Their job is to filter and trap bacteria, viruses, cancer cells and other unwanted substances.

A traditional lymph node dissection usually removes most if not all of the lymph nodes within the axillary (armpit) region. This type of breast surgery may accompany a mastectomy through the same incision or a lumpectomy through a separate incision. 

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is an alternative to traditional axillary lymph node dissection, in which the surgeon searches for the first lymph node that filters the fluid drainage from the breast area that contains cancerous cells. If the cancer cells detach from the tumor and move away from the breast through the lymphatic system, a pathologist will carefully examine them for any cancer signs.

It is an office-based procedure that does not require general anesthesia and uses extreme cold to get rid of cancerous tumors through a cryoprobe. A cryoprobe is a large bore needle that resembles a biopsy needle which is inserted directly into the tumor to freeze it. Once the tissue is frozen, the tumor cells die and the body reabsorbs the tissue since it is perceived as a foreign body. The immune response generated after the procedure may aid the body to fight additional cancer cells if the tumor was cancerous. Not all women are candidates for cryoablation. Benign breast lumps have to be small enough and far enough away from the skin to freeze. For breast cancer, cryoablation should only be performed and small unifocal tumors not larger than 15 mm and for patient over the age of 50.