SURGICAL SPECIALISTS

HILTON HEAD GENERAL & LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY, PA

 

Richard L. Hussong, Jr, MD

Thomas P. Rzeczycki, MD

Robert L. Soares, Jr, MD

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a serious disease that is treated by a team of healthcare professionals from different specialties (surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, etc.). Taking up to a couple of weeks to consult with the appropriate specialists and to make decisions regarding treatment will not negatively impact your risks. It is also important to remember that everyone is different, so cancers tend to behave differently in individuals, and treatment is not always straightforward.  Therefore, the therapy that a friend or family member received may not be appropriate for you or your situation. Fortunately we are able to provide you with expert state of the art care here on Hilton Head Island.

 

BREAST CANCER FACT SHEET

 

WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer results when abnormal cells lining the ducts or lobules of the breast grow beyond the body’s control. These cells form a tumor that eventually is detectable by mammogram, ultrasound or palpation.  Prior to diagnosis or the beginning of treatment it is possible that breast cancer cells may have broken off from the tumor and already spread to other areas of the body.   This spread of the cancer is sometimes detectable by examination or testing, but often it is only microscopic and there is no accurate way of detecting it prior to beginning treatment. One of the first places breast cancer spreads is the lymph nodes in the axilla.  The presence of cancer in these nodes or other locations is used to help determine the tumor stage. 

 

STAGING

The stage of the tumor is a measure of the severity of the cancer and is used to help determine treatments and prognosis.  Staging is determined by the size of the tumor and whether or not it has spread beyond the breast.    A complete pathological staging cannot be done until after surgery has been performed.  There are five stages of breast cancer (0, I, II, III, IV) with  higher stages assigned to the more severe cancers.  The TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) classification system is used to describe the tumor and determine its stage.  T refers to the size of the tumor.  N addresses the amount of involvement of the axillary nodes, and M denotes the presence or absence of metastatic disease.

 

TREATMENT

The treatment of breast cancer is divided into two categories: local and systemic therapy. Local treatment is the treatment of the breast and any affected lymph nodes in the axilla. It primarily consists of surgery and is usually the first step in treatment.  Systemic therapy is the use of chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy to treat cells (detectable and/or undetectable) that have spread beyond the breast.  It is usually initiated after local treatment has been completed.

 

LOCAL TREATMENT

This stage of treatment is aimed at removing and controlling the cancer in the breast.  Fortunately, several surgical options are available to most patients.  The surgery that is