In modern breast surgery the main aim is to treat breast cancer without causing loss of the breast. Today it is accepted as the standard treatment of stage I-II breast cancer.
Breast-Conserving Surgeries
- Classical Breast-Conserving
- In Macromastia, with Breast Reduction
Classical Breast-Conserving Surgery
Early diagnosis methods, women’s increased awareness about breast cancer and catching the disease at early stages make it possible to apply breast-conserving surgery.
As in the surgical treatment of all cancers, the main aim in breast cancers is to clear the tumorous tissue and save the patient’s life.
Removal of the breast by surgery (mastectomy) causes serious psychological strain in most women. After breast loss, a series of psychosocial problems are frequently observed in women, such as depression and other mood disorders, loss of sexual desire, impaired body perception, fear of losing feminine characteristics, worries about recurrence of the disease, difficulty in finding suitable clothing and the discomfort created by externally applied breast prostheses in the form of a bra.
When the patient and the tumor are suitable, the type of operation recommended against breast loss is to remove the cancerous tissue while preserving a part of the breast (breast-conserving surgery).
In this case, if the tumor is large in proportion to the breast, breast-conserving surgery may not give the result the patient wants cosmetically. Another point that should not be forgotten is that after breast-conserving surgery the patient must necessarily receive radiation.
Removal of the Tumor with Breast Reduction in Macromastia
In breast cancers that develop in women with large breasts, it is possible to remove the breast cancer and at the same time reduce both breasts to ideal sizes.
With this method, in addition to the surgical treatment of the cancer, patients get rid of the problems they experience because of the large breast (breast pain, back pain, shoulder pain, limited movement, persistent rashes under the breast, curvature of the spine, difficulty in radiotherapy, etc.).
Large breast (macromastia) was until recently a subject handled from an aesthetic point of view. However, as breast surgery developed and the subjects became more detailed, it has been revealed that a large breast is not just an aesthetic problem but a functional disease.
In breast clinics, complaints of large breast disease should be evaluated well and cases should be taken seriously; because the basic problem is not solved, referral to physical therapy and neurology clinics or expecting benefit from never-ending analgesics should not be done.
