Surgery Dealing with Breast Cancer

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Surgery
For Breast Cancer
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Surgery

• Surgery is the process that treats diseases or
  injuries by physical and instrumental means.
• It can reduce the symptoms of a problem or remove
  a piece of tissue to be further examined.
• Breast cancer surgery removes the tumor from the
  breast in order to prevent the cancer from
  spreading to the rest of the body.

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Advances in Surgery

• Scalpels replaced by lasers
• Decreased pain from smaller incision
• Shorter hospital stay
• Less deforming procedures
• Better reconstruction options

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Breast Cancer Detection

• The first step of treating breast cancer is to
  detect it. If found early better success with the
  treatment.
• Methods of detection
• Self Examination -By using the pads of their
  three fingers, the woman can check for any
  unusual lumps in the breast.
• Visual examination- Examine the breast and check
  for any changes (such as nipple discharge or
  puckering of the breast).

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Breast Cancer Detection

• Come in for a Breast Cancer screening test
  preformed by a nurse practitioner (as shown
  below).
• You should also get checked for breast cancer if
  you have the following symptoms
• - Breast pain or discomfort
• - Bone pain
• - Skin ulcers
• - Swelling of an arm
• - Weight loss

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If you do find a possible lump you may

• Have a Needle Biopsy in which a needle is used to
  draw sample fluid and tissues from a lump to be
  studied.
• Receive a mammogram to tell whether or not you
  have breast cancer.
• -A mammogram uses a small amount of
  radiation to produce an image of the breast. By
  examining these x-ray, doctors can determine if
  the lump is indeed cancerous.

This is the Breast Cancer tumor
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Cancerous tumor is found

• The treatment of breast cancer depends on
  certain factors. The woman may receive
  chemotherapy or radiation therapy if the cancer
  is early and is only in the breast. If the cancer
  has spread to the lymph nodes, surgery must be
  preformed. Overall surgery is preferable because
  it removes the tumor and may bring a longer
  lifetime.
• Radiation Therapy- uses rays to stop cancer cells
  from growing or dividing. It also shrinks the
  breast cancer tumor.
• Chemotherapy- uses drugs to control or prevent a
  cancerous tumor from growing.

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Your choices as a patient

• You and your doctor will decide on which surgery
  is the best option based on how aggressive the
  tumor is. You have choices as to how much of the
  breast is removed. Your options include
• Mastectomy- the removal of the whole breast or
  both of the breast along with the tumor.
• Quadrantectomy- the removal of
• about a quarter of the breast and
• the tumor.
• Lumpectomy- the removal of the
• tumor without removing any of
• the breast.

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After the Surgery

• Depending on the type of surgery the woman has
  chosen, she will face those certain circumstances
  that go along with it.
• After mastectomy, the woman has the choice of
  having breast reconstruction so that she can
  still have breast.
• After quadrantectomy or lumpectomy, the woman
  must often come in for radiation therapy. This is
  so that the doctor can ensure that all the cancer
  cells have been killed off and the patient no
  longer has breast cancer.

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The Final Step

• Although surgery is An essential part of Breast
  Cancer, Pathology also plays an important part.
  After the surgeon is done, he will take the tumor
  and some tissue from the breast and send it to
  the Pathology lab. There these tissues are
  further examined and studied upon.

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My work in MSKCC

• Working at Memorial Sloan-Kettering
  Cancer Center has provided me with valuable
  experience in the field of medicine. As an Intern
  I have been fortunate enough to assist and work
  in Dr. Kings Breast Lab in the Rockefeller
  Research Laboratories. A couple of the things I
  have been working on in the lab include
• Preparing stains and slides
• Using the Microtome to cut tissues
• Staining slides to determine if they were
  progesterone related
• Learning how to deparaffinize
  

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References

• http//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/surgery.html
• http//www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pgmammo
• http//www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/b
  reast/patient
• http//www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/menu-treatmen
  t.asp
• http//www.breastcancer.org/
• http//www.medicinenet.com/breast_cancer/article.h
  tm
• http//www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page
  3343

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Acknowledgements

• Dr.Tari King
• Dr. Victor Reuter
• Maria Coleman
• Nita Arroyo
• Fitzroy Curate
• Esther Monereau
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• Dr.Sat Bhattacharya
• The Harlem Children Society
• 
  Thank you