When cancerous tumors appear, the best thing to do with them is to destroy the tumor and any cancerous residue. Killing the cancer is not difficult. The problem is that the methods used to kill the cancer also kill healthy tissue. The trick then becomes killing the cancer whilst sparing the patient.
One of the most significant recent advancements in cancer treatment is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT. If tumors were square and were never located near healthy or vital tissue, then IMRT wouldn’t be necessary. However, since tumors tend to come with curves and often are very close to tissue that one doesn’t want to damage, the IMRT plays a significant role in lessening damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
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In some cases a patient who has had breast surgery for cancer may need to under go radiotherapy afterwards and this is particular true for those who have either a lumpectomy or Segmentectomy surgery. This lowers the risk of that patient having their cancer returning as it will hopefully kill off the rest of cancer cells if any left after the surgery has taken place. Whilst in other cases patients who have had a mastectomy may find that they are having radiotherapy to the lymph nodes above the collar bone to make sure that all cancerous cells have been removed. Normally the surgeon will discuss what kind of treatment you will have with the radiotherapist once the results from the surgery are back. Unfortunately not radiotherapy treatment can be planned until after the operation has been carried out.
There are many reasons as to why a surgeon will recommend a particular kind of breast surgery, but they will try their utmost to follow a patient’s wishes. In some cases some women would like to keep their breast at all costs, whilst others may prefer to have a mastectomy (because they feel that once the breast is gone the cancer will be gone also) or it is because the do not wish to have radiotherapy. In fact a great deal of research has been carried out and has proved that there is no difference in the outcome whether a patient has a mastectomy or conservative surgery with radiotherapy instead. In fact it has been found that both forms of treatment work equally well in treating breast cancer.
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