Breast Cancer Surgery: What Are My Options

Your most recent mammogram report came back indicating areas of concern that could be breast cancer. Your physician recommended a needle biopsy to determine if the identified tissue is cancerous. It is. Now what?

The diagnosis of breast cancer often includes surgery as part of a treatment plan, according to Emily Gentry, a Washington Hospital Physician Assistant. Gentry will discuss “Breast Cancer Surgery: What Are the Options?” at a free online Oct. 9 Health & Wellness seminar.

The 9 a.m. seminar will offer a comprehensive overview of surgery options—which can range from a lumpectomy to a mastectomy, sometimes followed by breast reconstruction. The program will offer patients, their families and caregivers knowledge crucial for informed decision-making. The free seminar can be viewed at facebook.com/WashingtonHosp and YouTube.com/whhsInHealth.

According to Gentry, most women with breast cancer have some type of surgery as part of their treatment. There are different types of breast surgery, and which type may depend on the cancer diagnosis. Issues that influence surgical decisions include the size of the tumor, whether the cancer has been identified in more than one area of the breast, prior history including whether the patient has been treated with radiation in the past, whether the cancer is found in the adjacent lymph nodes, and whether the cancer is caused by a genetic mutation in the breast cancer genes.

The surgical goal is to remove the cancer entirely and to determine whether the cancer has spread to adjacent lymph nodes located under the arm below the shoulder. Surgical options also include breast reconstruction to restore the breast’s shape after the cancer is removed and, in some cases, to relieve symptoms of advanced cancer.

For many women whose cancer has been discovered early, a lumpectomy may be the surgical recommendation. In these cases, it is likely that the tumor is small, mostly only in one location. For some patients with a single small tumor, a lumpectomy followed by radiation is effective and additional surgery for breast reconstruction isn’t needed.

Other issues to be considered in developing a surgical treatment plan include whether to have chemotherapy prior to surgery. Pre-surgery chemotherapy often is recommended to shrink a large tumor and/or when many lymph nodes are involved. By shrinking the tumor, the surgery is less extensive and easier on the patient. Following surgery, chemotherapy may be again recommended to kill any cells left behind.

Other treatment options that the patient and physician may discuss include radiation, hormone therapy and immunotherapy, Gentry notes. Not every patient receives chemotherapy. In some cases, a lumpectomy followed by radiation and hormone therapy is effective.

“It is important to explore and understand all your treatment options including the various surgical options,” Gentry says. “Once you know the options, you and your physician—and your family—can make the choices that are right for you.”

Watch “Breast Cancer Surgery: What Are the Options?” on Oct. 9 at 9 a.m. or following that time, view this and other seminars from health care experts at YouTube.com/whhsInHealth.

To learn more about Washington Hospital’s Women’s Center and breast cancer information, visit whhs.com/BreastHealth or to read more about Emily Gentry, PA-C