Difference between total excision and breast-conserving radiotherapy for breast cancer

Total excision of breast cancer is to remove the whole breast tissue for treatment, and breast-conserving radiotherapy refers to radiation therapy after removing part of the diseased breast tissue. 1. Total mastectomy: more serious breast cancer patients usually need to undergo total mastectomy for treatment, which usually involves removing the whole mammary gland and then clearing the axillary lymph nodes, and generally need to cooperate with auxiliary treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy after the operation. 2. Breast-conserving radiotherapy: Breast-conserving radiotherapy is mainly for patients with smaller lesions and older age, usually only local lesions are removed, nipple and areola are preserved, and biopsy of sentinel lymph nodes is usually performed. If the sentinel lymph nodes are positive, lymph node dissection is also done in conjunction, in which case postoperative whole breast irradiation therapy is required. Total excision of breast cancer and breast-conserving radiotherapy are common treatment modalities, and the appropriate treatment plan will be chosen according to the patient’s condition, and some patients’ conditions cannot be treated with breast-conserving radiotherapy, so it is recommended that patients follow the advice of their attending doctors.