Cancer Treatment

Treatment is determined by tumor size and whether there has been spread to lymph or other body areas. Usually, when the tumor is less than 1 centimeter in diameter, surgery is enough to end cancer and chemotherapy is not needed. However, there are few cases that do not require an adjunct to surgery or with chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Currently the most important prognostic factor remains the lymph node: the number of involved nodes oncologist to help select subsequent treatment.

The surgical procedure was always done by a surgeon / gynecologist expert in breast cancer, allows local control of the disease and carry out an accurate diagnosis because it can determine the characteristics of the tumor and the number of nodes affected by malignant cells .

Radiotherapy is the use of high-energy rays such as X rays, to destroy or decrease the number of cancer cells. Local treatment is given after conservative surgery (when used after mastectomy is because it believes that there is a risk that the tumor is played). It develops over about 20-30 days (the oncologist and the radiologist felt it appropriate), and the patient goes to an outpatient clinic or room where radiation therapy is performed, does not have to be hospitalized for it.

As such, the treatment lasts a few minutes. It is not painful but it is something like an X-ray radiation only is greater and is concentrated in the affected area. What is achieved with radiotherapy is to reduce the size of the tumor, then surgery to remove or, upon completion of the operation, clear the area of malignant cells.

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