Cosmetic Surgery Today Forum

What is mastectomy?
The surgical procedure of complete or partial removal of one or both the breast tissues is referred to as mastectomy. Breast Cancer is the most common cause of death among women in the United States and it also attributes to one percent of cancer deaths among males. There are several techniques of conducting the procedure, which depend upon the extent of the spread of the tumor and the need to resect the surrounding tissue. Surgery is inevitable in patients suffering from breast cancer, however breast sparing surgeries, attempt to retain a part of the breast tissue to avoid cosmetic reconstruction. The five years survival rate depends upon the stage of the cancer and can range from 100% (in Stage I) to as low as 20% (in Stage IV).

Mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer.
    * After preliminary assessment and imaging studies like mammography and PET scan to assess the expanse and spread of the tumor, the surgical intervention is planned for treatment of breast cancer
    * The surgeries include simple mastectomy (i.e. removal of the breast with the surrounding lymph nodes), Radical mastectomy (i.e. removal of breast tissue, surrounding lymph nodes and chest muscles), Modified radical procedure, (i.e. when the pectoralis muscles are spared) and skin sparing procedure. The procedures are also classified based on the extent of resection which includes quadrantectomy or segmental mastectomy.
    * Breast reconstruction surgery is conducted to restore the cosmetic appearance

Mastectomy surgery abroad.
Breast cancer surgery is highly complicated and stressful for the patient. To reduce the financial burden of the surgery, several patients prefer to go abroad, to seek low cost and good quality of medical care.