Breast Cancer Surgery Recovery Time

The type of surgery recommended in any given case of breast cancer has significance for postoperative therapy. Breast cancer surgery may be less extensive or radical where the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body; the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy may then be more aggressive. Breast cancer surgery recovery time depends on the procedure involved.

More commonly, the cancer is localized. The patient's options may, in consequence include: surgery only, surgery with radiation, surgery with chemotherapy, surgery with a combination of these treatments; or radiation or chemotherapy without surgery. However, breast cancer surgery recovery time would differ depending upon the kind of surgery they had.

If the lesion is malignant, the surgeon proceeds with the mastectomy. Depending upon the seriousness of the case and the procedure recommended by the surgeon and the pathologist, the operation may be a simple mastectomy, a radical mastectomy, a modified radical mastectomy, or any of a number of other forms of breast operation.

In the United States, until recently, radical mastectomy was the usual procedure for breast cancer treatment. Today at least seven different types of mastectomy, some more widely accepted than other, may be performed namely: lumpectomy, simple mastectomy, modified-radical mastectomy, halsted-type radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, super-radical mastectomy. All may be recommended in different cases depending upon the type of cancer, its invasive potential, or ability to spread, and other factors.

Most patients have deep concern about many aspects of breast cancer surgery recovery time, including the cosmetic effects. For that reason, it is important to select the appropriate type of surgery. The rates of survival appear to depend as much on timely use of pre and postoperative radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy as on the type of operation. But the kind of operation may determine whether the patient will be able to function and recover normally in a relatively short period of time.

Charlene J. Nuble

Charlene J. Nuble is a healthcare professional who loves writing about women's issues, parenting and other health related stuffs. Click on the link to learn more about Breast Cancer Surgery Recovery Time...