Breast cancer treatment: from radical mastectomy to radiosurgery
El breast cancer It is the most common tumor in women. In fact, it is estimated that 12% of women will develop this tumor throughout their lives. However, cancer treatment breast has experienced extraordinary progress in recent years. This is due to a better understanding of its pathophysiology, improved treatments, and, of course, improved diagnostic techniques, leading to increasingly earlier diagnoses of this pathology.
All this has produced in recent years a significant decrease in mortality and morbidity in patients suffering from this disease.
Table of Contents – Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast cancer treatment today
Breast cancer treatment: evolution
The definitive solution: Radiosurgery
Breast cancer treatment today
Today, we can offer our patients increasingly less aggressive treatments with improved cure rates. They are also much better tolerated. avoiding significant alterations in both the psychological and physical spheres that radical surgical techniques produce on the patient.
Breast cancer treatment: evolution
The evolution of surgical treatment in the last century has been very important and has greatly improved the quality of life of patients who have undergone such procedures.
In the first half of the 20th century, the usual surgical technique was Halsted radical mastectomy (complete removal of the breast, major and minor pectoral muscles and axillary lymph nodes).
Later the modified Patay radical mastectomy ,in which the pectoralis major is preserved by removing the axillary lymph nodes.
This conservative trend continued to respect both pectoral muscles (Madden technique), which significantly decreased side effects of these treatments without detriment to the therapeutic result.
In the last decade of the 20th century, conservative treatments began to be carried out:
- Lumpectomies: removal of the tumor with a margin of healthy tissue around it and partial mastectomies).
- Breast reconstructions after surgeries that will involve the complete removal of the breast in cases where the type of tumor did not allow conservative surgery.
Finally, the incorporation of the nuclear medicine In the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, it has made it possible to avoid routine removal of the axillary lymph node chain in many cases. In this way, the quality of life of these patients is further improved. In addition, many side effects due to the disruption of lymphatic drainage that this produces are avoided.
The definitive solution: Radiosurgery
In recent years, radiotherapy techniques have experienced great progress. radiosurgery, already applied in other tumors (brain, pancreas, etc.), seems to be the logical step that can avoid many complications. With the consequent reduction in the side effects of traditional surgical treatments without compromising the cure rates of these patients.
However, these techniques require a large infrastructure with a high economic cost and a highly qualified staff. Aspects pending improvement for the generalization of this technique.
If you found this article interesting and would like to be seen by a professional expert in Gynecology and Obstetrics, the Women's Unit at Ruber International Hospital has a specialized unit in this area. You can request more information by calling the following numbers: 91 387 51 72/73/74 or make an appointment for an in-person consultation, always with the best specialists.