Choosing Your Surgery
This program presents information about mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) with radiation. For most women, survival is similar with either option, as are the overall discomfort, complications, and emotional effects of surgery. The surgeries differ in terms of the time and energy required for treatment, the risk of local cancer recurrence, and appearance. A woman’s choice depends on how she feels about these differences.
The program reviews the role of radiation therapy for women who choose lumpectomy as well as for women who choose mastectomy but who have 4 or more positive lymph nodes and or tumors larger than 5 cm. The purpose and possible complications of lymph-node surgery, including sentinel-node biopsy, are also discussed.
|
