What is radical surgery's role in eradicating breast cancer? Radical surgery is the extirpation of an area of the body that is locally ridden with disease. Typically, it is an extremely risky surgery and was once thought to be the solution to every type of cancer, excluding brain cancer. Today, this type of surgery most often deals with various different types of local cancer. In the case of breast cancer, radical surgery is used to remove all cancerous cells from the breasts. The name primarily associated with this bold, medical advancement would be Dr. William Stewart Halsted. Although Halsted did not invent the concept of radical surgery, he did perfect it and bring it to its extreme. Dr. Halsted paved the way for today's breast cancer treatment, and modifications of his courageous surgeries are still performed today. Without his risky radical mastectomy, the world would be a lot farther behind in the hunt for a cure for breast cancer.
Breast cancer was and still is the leading cause of death in women in the United States , and Dr. Halsted's number one goal was to reduce reoccurrence. He believed that the most effective way to reach this goal was to uproot the cancerous cells in the breasts, thus giving it its name "radical" mastectomy. The original mastectomy involved only removing the cancerous tumor, known today as a lumpectomy. After the aggressive disease returned, Halsted decided to remove the breast entirely. Frustrated with his negative results, he begins a tour through Europe to learn from some of the biggest names in surgery during the late 1800's throughout the early 1900's. Halsted wanted to keep cancer from taking over the body yet again. During his time in Europe, he witnesses his fellow surgeon, Volkmann, remo...
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...ves the entire breast and the nipple while leaving the pectoral muscles and axillary lymph nodes intact. This surgery has reduced the occurrence of breast cancer by 90%.
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In today society, beauty in a woman seems to be the measured of her size, or the structure of her nose and lips. Plastic surgery has become a popular procedure for people, mostly for women, to fit in social class, race, or beauty. Most women are insecure about their body or face, wondering if they are perfect enough for the society to call the beautiful; this is when cosmetic surgery comes in. To fix what “needed” to be fixed. To begin with, there is no point in cutting your face or your body to add or remove something most people call ugly. “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” explored the desire of human to become beyond perfection by the undergoing plastic surgery. The author, Camille Pagalia, took a look how now days how Americans are so obsessed
O'Neill, P. (Ed.). (2006, September 1). Breast Cancer: Overview of Risks. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from WebMD: Better Information. Better Health.: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/overview-risks-breast-cancer?page=
The book begins with a narrative of cancer relating back to its history. Cancer in the book is discussed as a confusing, complex disease that was hard to decode by doctors for over a century. Mukherjee gives rich details about the way people assessed breast cancer in the nineteenth century discussing how radiation and chemotherapy were once used before modern times. Further, into the book, Mukherjee shares with personal experience working in the field of
A mastectomy is a procedure that is the removal of the breast. This procedure is usually done because the person has breast cancer. With the patients that have the more extensive disease, they may have to go through hormone therapy, chemotherapy and radiation. The patient may have to in for testing of liver studies, bone, and lung to find out the options of treatment. Blood work, x-rays, ECG, and urinalysis are going to be involved as well. When a patient goes in for this procedure, they will be given general anesthesia. After that the surgeon will cut into your breast and preform one of the following procedures; Radical mastectomy, where the surgeon will remove all of the lymph nodes under the patients arm, and chest muscles. A modified radical
Women are more likely to undergo lumpectomy surgery if their physicians graduated from medical school after 1981 compared with the physicians graduated from medical school after 1961. According to a study done by Kotwall et. al. [17] examined the 157 hospital located in North Carolina. Using multiple logistic regression they calculated the yearly prevalence of lumpectomy in order to determine tumor, patient, and surgeon factors associated with lumpectomy. They conclude that woman younger than 50 years old and with small tumors operated by younger surgeons were more likely to undergo lumpectomy. The reason is that the surgeons trained after 1981 were trained to do lumpectomy surgery and are more knowledgeable about the research showing the safety of
Leve, Michelle, Lisa Rubin, and Andrea Pusic. "Cosmetic Surgery and Neoliberalisms: Managing Risk and Responsibility." Feminism & Psychology (n.d.): n. pag. Sage. Web. .
First of all, plastic surgery enhances the self-confidence of the person who undertakes it (Nauert, 2011). In fact, according to Figueroa-Haas (as cited in Nauert, 2011), although plastic surgery is not the best way to cure low self-esteem problems we can’t deny its psychological benefits. Figueroa-Haas, (as cited in Nauert, 2011), conducted a study in 2005, on 84 women in their middle age to assess the change in their self-esteem before and after breast enlargement and the results showed that indeed, the women’s self-confidence improved after the surgery and it also affected their sexual satisfaction and attitudes. Similar studies have been made by Borah (as cited in Kohl, 2000) on cosmetic surgery patients to evaluate their quality of life before and after the proc...
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Statistics.” 2004. 12 Aug. 2004. <http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/Statistical-Trends.cfm>.
are many different types of breast cancer surgery, they all fit into a few basic
A breast augmentation (augmentation mammoplasty) involves increasing the size of the breasts or restoring volume lost after weight loss or pregnancy. During a breast augmentation, Baton Rouge’s Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Thomas Guillot http://theoaksmedicalspa.com/personnel/thomas-guillot/ increases the breast size via a fat transfer or with breast implants.
Skravanek, P. (1988). The debate over mass mammography in Britain: Br Med J; 297: 1542.
There are many treatment options for breast cancer, the main types of treatment are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and bone-directed therapy. Surgery would be removing the cancer. Radiation therapy is the treatment for a disease, especially cancer, using X-rays or similar forms of radiation. Chemotherapy is the treatment that uses medications and drugs to treat the cancer and to attempt to remove it. Hormone therapy is medications containing female hormones to replace the ones the body no longer makes after menopause. Bone-directed therapy is to help strength the bones because cancer can weaken your bones.
Surgery, however, has its downfalls, just like chemotherapy and radiation. A woman could lose a breast or her sexual function. Men, as well, could also lose their sexual function (Aschwanden). Missy, at the time a thirty-eight year old woman, found herself having to deal with the results of surgery to remove cancer. When diagnosed with breast cancer, Missy then had a mastectomy. Her doctors had recommended six months of chemotherapy and the antiestrogen drug Tamoxifen. Her side effects would have then included menopause-like symptoms, an increased risk for uterine cancer, hair loss, infections, vomiting and nausea as well as anger and anxiety. After her surgery, Missy states that she “was as mad as a hornet [and] resented the fact that at thirty-eight, [she] had lost a breast and went into early menopause” (qtd in Sanders). Cancer is not a subject to be taken lightly and neither is the process of treatment. Serious side effects can arise. While in some cases screenings can save lives, in others it can lead to an early
Historically speaking breast cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Thankfully the treatment has improved. Patients who get the cancer removed and take care of themselves after, for example, by exercising and eating healthy, will live longer. There are many risks that increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, for instance, age, family history, and race. A women who made history with breast cancer was Betty Ford, Betty was one of the first lady’s to speak openly about her disease. Betty encouraged women who have been affected with the disease to go to their doctor as soon as possible and told women who had shared that they didn’t have breast cancer to do self breast exams regularly and get mammograms. She also said when women get diagnosed with it don’t be embarrassed. Treatments in the past were pretty good and quite the same compared to the treatments given to people now, for instance, mastectomy’s which was the primary...