Why mastectomy?

Breasts are the most beautiful and sexy part of a woman, and they also bear the important task of feeding offspring. However, in cases of certain diseases, the breast may be removed. Many people find it difficult to understand why breasts, such an important part of a woman, can be removed. In fact, breast removal is often a last resort. When suffering from a malignant tumor such as breast cancer, in order to avoid the spread and serious consequences, it is necessary to remove or partially remove the breast. Why do we need to have a breast removal?

From a global perspective, breast cancer is a common tumor, ranking first among female malignant tumors in European and American countries, and the incidence of breast cancer is increasing at a rate of 2% per year. The incidence of breast cancer has increased particularly rapidly in China's large and medium-sized cities. Survey data in recent years show that the incidence of breast cancer in my country has ranked first among female malignant tumors, causing many women in my country to be terrified of breast cancer.

Is it a direct mastectomy? Or can you choose to preserve your breast, just remove the breast tumor and then supplement it with chemotherapy? Most female breast cancer patients face this dilemma after being diagnosed.

Breast-conserving therapy may be better than mastectomy

A study comparing the 10-year survival rates of breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy and those who underwent lumpectomy found that there was no significant difference in the 10-year survival rates of 75% of patients who underwent lumpectomy and 77% of patients who underwent mastectomy.

Experts have found that 70 to 80% of breast cancer cells originate from the mammary ducts. It would be best if breast cancer cells could be detected before they are confined to the mammary ducts and spread to other parts of the body. The survival rate for women with breast cancer that is detected early is around 95%, and in many cases it does not mean removing the entire breast.

Having breast cancer does not mean losing your breasts

According to current academic research, it is not necessary for breast cancer patients to undergo breast removal, because breast-conserving surgery is a mature breast cancer resection that preserves the breast, and the medical community has now basically reached a consensus on breast-conserving surgery. This surgical method has no difference in terms of the patient's long-term survival compared to radical mastectomy for breast cancer.

Having breast cancer does not mean losing your breasts. Qi Xiaodong introduced that for patients who are suitable for breast-conserving treatment, the recurrence and long-term survival rates of the two treatment methods are almost the same, which has been proven by a large number of clinical studies internationally and in China. Therefore, it is important to remember that breast-conserving treatment does not necessarily lead to recurrence, and you do not have to lose your breast because you have breast cancer.

Breast cancer is relatively easy to treat, and most early breast cancers can be completely removed. In more than 80% of early breast cancer cases, the breast can be preserved and the same radical cure effect as mastectomy can be achieved. There are many treatments for breast cancer, and the prognosis is relatively good. If it is discovered in the early stages and undergoes reasonable individualized and standardized treatment, the ten-year survival rate is over 90%. That is to say, nine out of ten early cancers may not recur in this lifetime with reasonable treatment, so early detection is very important. Don't panic if you have cancer.