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Breast Cancer Surgery: What Patients Should Expect from Start to Finish
By Raveena M Prakash
A breast cancer diagnosis is a life-changing moment for many cancer patients. Surgery is a crucial part of their treatment journey. Whether you are advised to get a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or reconstructive surgery, knowing the process from start to finish can often help to reduce anxiety and empower you to make more informed decisions regarding your breast cancer treatments.
In this blog, we’ll look more into what to expect at each stage of breast cancer surgery, starting from diagnosis to recovery.
What patients should need to know from start to finish about the treatments?
A recent breast cancer diagnosis usually begins with noticing any symptom or finding a lump on the regular screening, which often leads to a clinical breast examination along with mammogram or ultrasound tests. If you have identified any kinds of abnormalities, then your healthcare provider might perform a biopsy to collect some suspected cancer tissues for diagnosis, which confirms cancer. A biopsy will provide more accurate details for more personalized treatment plans.
After the diagnosis, expect a period for planning treatments which are closely related to your condition, which involves discussions with oncologists, which requires you to undergo further tests, and potentially waiting for a few weeks before starting the surgery with other treatments to ensure the best treatment approach is chosen.
Diagnosis and surgical consultation
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer through a breast biopsy, then your healthcare provider will suggest you consult an oncology team, which often includes surgeons and radiologists.
It will further evaluate your health conditions, including the type and stage of cancer, along with some key characteristics of the patient’s cancer, to recommend an effective treatment plan.
What happens during surgical consultation?
An healthcare provider will discuss the surgical options suitable for your medical conditions,
Including:
- Lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery): This treatment includes the removal of the tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissue.
- Mastectomy (complete breast removal surgery): These surgical procedures include the removal of the entire breast in one or both.
- Reconstruction surgery: These treatments are used to restore the shape of the breasts after mastectomy (removal of the entire breasts) and lumpectomy (removal of a lump or partial reconstruction).
- Sentinel node biopsy: These are often performed to confirm the spread of cancer and also check the need for more extensive surgery to remove cancer and guide further treatments in patients.
If you are having any doubts and confusions about your surgical procedure, then you can ask these questions.
Including:
- What are the risks and benefits of each surgery?
- What’s the expected recovery time required for these surgical procedures?
- How does surgery fit into the overall treatment plan, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy?
Pre-surgical preparation
For patients preparing for your surgery, your healthcare team will suggest undergoing a detailed medical evaluation, including blood tests, imaging, and other diagnostic tests, along with some lifestyle adjustments, such as avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol, along with certain medications, including aspirin, blood thinners, and supplements, for some time.
What’s to expect before breast cancer surgery, including:
- Medical evaluation and tests: These may include several blood tests, imaging, possibly a chest X-ray, and an electrocardiogram.
- Stop consuming certain medications: Discuss with your doctor your medical conditions and if you are taking any medicine on a regular basis, and inform them earlier, as you may need to stop consuming before the surgery, including aspirin, blood thinners, and other supplements.
- Lifestyle changes: If you love smoking or drinking alcohol, then you may need to adjust your lifestyle during the treatment period to get the effectiveness of the treatments.
- Pre-operation instructions: Your doctors might advise you to stop eating and drinking a certain amount of time before surgery and restrict you from consuming certain medications.
- Emotional preparation: Don’t hesitate to ask for help and seek support from peer groups, therapists, or a breast cancer support group.
What can happen in the surgery?
The patients are advised to reach the hospital a few days or hours before the procedure for your scheduled surgery. Your medical team including nursing staff will help you to prepare for the surgery. Surgical oncologists and a team will review the surgical procedure for you.
During surgery:
- Breast cancer surgeries can last typically 1 to 3 hours, depending on the type and complexity of the cancer, along with individual health factors. The duration of the surgery can be varied depending on several conditions.
- For example, for a lumpectomy, it can take almost 1-2 hours, while for a mastectomy with reconstructive surgery, it can take 5 to 8 hours. If the patient needs reconstructive surgery, then the surgery can get extended to more than 3 hours.
- General anesthesia is used in patients, which helps the patient get sleepy and also feel pain-free during the procedure.
Post-surgery recovery
After completing the surgical procedure, the patient will be shifted into a post-anesthesia care room, where nurses will monitor you closely, while some patients might get discharged in the next few days, especially after mastectomy or reconstruction surgery.
After surgery you may experience these, including:
- Soreness and tightness in the chest area
- Numbness and tingling sensations
- Drainage tubes (these are used to remove excess fluid from the surgical site)
Nurses and care teams will provide pain relief and clear instructions on managing drains, clogging, and maintaining hygiene.
What are the other treatments for breast cancer?
Other treatments used for breast cancer other than surgery may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. However, the specific treatment plan mainly depends on the patient’s stage, subtype of cancer, and hormonal sensitivity and overall health conditions.
Here are some of the additional treatments used for breast cancer patients, including:
- Radiation therapy: In these treatments, a radiation oncologist uses high energy radiation rays to kill cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: These treatments are usually used to kill the cancer cells, and they also shrink tumors before surgery (neoadjuvant), or they're also used to kill any cancer cells that remain after the surgery (adjuvant).
- Targeted therapy: These treatments are used to target specific molecules and cancer cells, avoiding healthy cells, while disrupting the growth and spread in the patient’s body.
- Immunotherapy: These treatments are used to stimulate a patient's immune system to fight against cancer cells, and they are often used in some types of breast cancer. For example: early-stage breast cancer and metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
- Hormone therapy: These treatments are used for hormone-receptor-positive tumors to block hormones that fuel the cancer cells' growth.
Tips for healing and recovery
If you are healing from your breast cancer surgery and coping with any of its complications, then it’s important to follow these tips that help you to cope up with the side effects that are important for quick recovery in patients.
One of the significant factors is following your doctor’s wound care instructions, along with consuming your prescribed medications on time and managing the swelling with proper care and rest.
Here are some other tips helps your healing journey, including:
- Communicate openly with your health care team.
- Try to prioritize your self-care, including nutrition, rest, gentle physical activities, and mental health.
- Consider including a care plan or routine for your long-term care plan after post-surgery, including check-ups and regular health screenings for recurrence.
Consult Today
Breast cancer surgery is a highly intense and triggering journey filled with so many emotions, mental chaos, and quick decisions. While it can be a daunting journey, knowing what to expect can make the path smoother. With the support of the care team and the patient’s loved ones, patients can drive through the surgery journey with inner resilience and emotional support.
At Oncare, we offer premium-quality cancer treatments, including advanced cancer surgeries at affordable price ranges with an experienced cancer specialist consultation.
If you or loved ones are diagnosed with cancer, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment for our cancer specialist consultations and get an estimated cost of your cancer treatments today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the different types of breast cancer surgery, including:
- Lumpectomy
- Mastectomy
- Sentinel node biopsy
- Lymphadenectomy
- Breast reconstruction surgery
The duration of breast cancer surgery would mainly depend on the type of procedure and how extensive the growth is in the patients. For example, a simple lumpectomy process with or without sentinel node biopsy can usually be performed in one or two days.
While on the other hand, a surgical procedure like a mastectomy with an axillary lymph node dissection or breast reconstruction at the same time might take up to approximately three to four hours in surgery.
When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor might decide on further treatments, including surgery and other treatments. The patient's current health condition and the stage of cancer will depend on the overall treatment plan and where your surgery fits in your current health condition. In most early-stage breast cancer, performing surgery is considered the primary treatment.
Here are the general surgery risks and complications may include:
- Wound infection
- Blood clots
- Seroma
- Hematoma
- Numbness and tingling
- Shoulder stiffness
- Cording
- Lymphedema
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