One in every nine women will be stricken with breast cancer in their life, or in other words, approximately two million women across the next twenty years. Surgery is usually the first line of attack against breast cancer. The thought of surgery can be frightening. But having a better understanding of what to expect before, during, and after the operation can help. You and your doctor will determine the kind of surgery that is most appropriate for you based on the stage of the cancer and what is acceptable to you in terms of your long-term peace of mind.

What are your breast surgery options in Italy?

Breast cancer is a disease resulting from the malignant transformation of some breast cells that grow autonomously and acquire the ability to infiltrate the surrounding tissues and organs and migrate to other parts of the body which then nestle and form metastases.

Surgery is often needed to remove a breast tumor, but prevention and the appropriate treatments have shown to reduce the damage that breast cancer can cause. Thanks to prevention and care, the survival rate is clearly progressively increasing.

Relying on a Center of Excellence like IEO for prevention, early and accurate diagnosis of breast cancer and its biological characteristics, and treatments maximise the probability of complete cure.

The various expertise in Radiology, Surgery, Medical Oncology, Radiotherapy, Chemoprevention, Nuclear Medicine and other specialties involved in the management of breast cancer patients work together in order to define the best approach for every single case. Personalised diagnosis, treatment and follow up is the strategy that allow IEO to achieve optimal results in terms of cure, disease control, quality of life.

That’s why the IEO Breast Program that brings together all Divisions and Units competent in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer has been created. Breast cancer treatment is multidisciplinary. It is not enough to only speak about surgery, radiotherapy or pharmacotherapy without integrating the various disciplines.

Most women with breast cancer have some type of surgery; options for this include breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. The breast can be reconstructed at the same time as surgery or later on. Surgery is also used to check the lymph nodes under the arm for cancer spread. Options for this include a sentinel lymph node biopsy and an axillary (armpit) lymph node dissection.

Source: http://www.placidway.com/article/1631/Personalised-Diagnosis,-Treatment-and-Follow-Up-for-Breast-Cancer-Patients-in-Italy