October is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and the third Friday is “Pink Ribbon Care Day”; breast-conserving surgery is an option for treating early-stage breast cancer, but 70% of patients have their lives preserved instead of their breasts.
Breast-conserving surgery, as the name implies, is a procedure that is performed while maintaining the original shape and function of the patient’s breast as much as possible, such as the removal of breast cancer.
In the eyes of doctors, this is the “perfect” treatment option for breast cancer, but patients do not buy it. At least 70% of women end up having their breasts removed because they fear that they will not be able to “eradicate” the cancer cells.
Typical Cases
Small incision is not safe? Patients insist on total excision!
Ms. Wang, 43 years old, was found to have breast cancer three months ago, but fortunately it was early.
Lin Zhiwu, the deputy chief physician of oncology surgery of the provincial hospital who received her, did a detailed examination and found that her current condition was suitable for breast-conserving surgery, and to her surprise, this suggestion was rejected.
It turned out that one of Ms. Wang’s relatives suffered from liver cancer and passed away six months after the surgery due to metastasis of cancer cells. Ms. Wang was worried that breast-conserving surgery would have to be performed through a small incision to get rid of all the cancer cells, and this method was too insecure. For the sake of her son, who had just started high school, she finally decided to remove all of her cancerous breast, saying, “Nothing else mattered.” “Ms. Wang’s idea is very representative, especially for women over forty-five years old, who would mostly choose total removal surgery, with at least seventy percent of the patients having such an idea!” In this regard, Lin Zhiwu felt some regret.
Experts say cut or not cut, in fact, the difference is not big
The more clean the cut, the safer it is, and will it reduce the recurrence of breast cancer? The difference between preserving or not preserving the breast is not that big, said Lin Zhiwu.
Lin Zhiwu said that over the years, the medical profession has conducted a control through more than 70,000 cases and found that among breast cancer patients who took comprehensive treatment, there is no difference in the survival rate of 3, 5 or 15 years after surgery for those who took breast-conserving or non-breast-conserving surgery, so there is no longer a debate about which is better, breast-conserving or non-breast-conserving surgery. On the contrary, the psychological trauma caused to women after breast removal is difficult to heal. They may lose confidence in their lives because they feel they are crippled and have no female sexual characteristics.
In fact, total excision now accounts for only a small percentage of surgical treatment of breast cancer worldwide, and breast-conserving surgery has become the main means, for example, 70% of breast cancer surgeries in France are breast-conserving.
Authoritative advice: breast-conserving surgery is not suitable for all patients
Breast-conserving surgery depends on the size, location and number of breast tumors, the patient’s own health condition and economic status, and not all patients can undergo breast-conserving surgery, said Lin Zhiwu.
”A clean cut without deformation is required to do breast-conserving surgery!” The first condition is that the edge of the tumor tissue cut out is “clean”, that is, free of cancer cells, and the second condition is that the breast lump is not deformed and beautiful after cutting out.
If axillary lymph node metastasis is found, breast-conserving surgery cannot be actively performed even if other conditions permit. In addition, patients who have had radiation therapy, have connective tissue disease, have multiple lesions in the breast, or have metastasized cancer cells (except lymphatic metastases) are not candidates for breast-conserving surgery.
Mandatory course on how women can regularly self-examine their breasts
Since breast-conserving surgery is only suitable for early-stage breast cancer patients who meet specific conditions, early detection of breast cancer is the key to whether breast can be preserved. Women in China enter the breast cancer incidence period at the age of 35 or above, and at the age of 45 to 54, it reaches the high incidence period.
Dr. Chen Xiaogeng, Chief of Oncology Surgery Department of Provincial Hospital, suggests that women at this stage should be as concerned about their breast as they are about their crow’s feet.
Regular self-examination of breast can detect breast tumor in time. You can use the opportunity of bathing to self-examine at least once or twice a month. If you find that the two breasts are obviously asymmetrical, there are abnormalities such as “blind nipples” and cellulite, lumps are found in the breasts and armpits, and there is overflow after squeezing the nipples, these may be clinical symptoms of breast cancer and you should go to a regular hospital for further examination. The hospital you choose must have the equipment to diagnose early stage breast cancer, such as mammogram machine, and the equipment and technology to perform breast-conserving surgery. After breast cancer patients go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination, the attending oncologist will evaluate their condition and consider whether they are eligible for breast-conserving surgery according to their specific needs, and finally decide on the surgical plan.