Breast Cancer – A Complete Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide. In Romania, hundreds of women are diagnosed with the disease every year, and the importance of early diagnosis and personalized treatment cannot be emphasized enough. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide for patients diagnosed with breast cancer, covering the signs and symptoms of the disease, the stages of diagnosis, treatment options and specific surgery, as well as recovery and long-term support.

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Recognizeșrecognizing the early signs of breast cancer can make a differencețbetween effective curative treatment șand an interventionție tardivă. Cele mai frecvente simptome includ:

Breast or armpit lump: A firm, painless lump that does not go away is an alarm signal and requires immediate medical evaluation.
Editări ale dimensiunea și forma del sânului: New-ap-apărută, îngroșskin area or changeăchanges in the contour of the breast may indicate problems.
Retracțtake the nipple or secre secreții abnormal ii: Appearția secretțblo bloody or modiănipple are signals that need to be recognized.ă Investigateții.
Edităskin changes: The skin of the breast may become redșie, inflamedă or may have a “peeling” appearanceă orangeă“.

Any visible or felt changes in your breasts should be reported immediately to your specialist for further investigation.

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

Diagnosing breast cancer requires a complex approachă și individualizată, which starts with the clinical assessmentă of the breast and armpits și continuousă with researchții imagistice șand laboratory:

Digital tomosynthesis mammography is the first line of assessment for women over 40, providing detailed images of breast structures.
Breast ultrasound is preferred for young women or those with dense breasts, providing details of lumps and other abnormalities.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for complex or familial cases, providing additional information about tumor extension.
Needle biopsy confirms the presence of cancer cells and allows molecular analysis of the tumor to guide treatment.

Assessment of molecular biomarkers, such as hormone receptors (ER and PR), HER2 status and ki67 index, is essential for personalizing treatment.

Breast Cancer Treatment and Surgery

The treatment of breast cancer is complex and variable depending on the stage of the disease, tumor characteristics and patient preferences. Surgery is a central pillar and the techniques used are tailored to each case:

Conservative Breast Surgery: This involves removing the tumor and a margin of healthy tissue, preserving as much of the breast structure as possible. Interventions include lumpectomy, sectorectomy, cadranectomy and wide local excision and are followed by radiotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence.
Mastectomy: This involves total removal of the affected breast. It can be radical, simple or with preservation of the skin and/or the nipple-areolar complex, and in many cases is associated with immediate or delayed breast reconstruction. This procedure is recommended in advanced cases that have received preoperative chemotherapy, or when there are significant genetic risks (BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations).
Oncoplastic Surgery: combines tumor removal techniques with reconstructive methods to ensure an optimal aesthetic result, often indicated for larger tumors in the context of a reduced breast size and/or to reduce the rate of performing or needing a mastectomy.
Axillary Surgery: includes techniques to evaluate the lymph nodes, either by removing all axillary lymph nodes (axillary lymphadenectomy) or using the sentinel lymph node technique to determine the extent and guide the next therapeutic steps of the disease.

Types of surgery performed

We are dedicated to offering our patients individualized treatments based on the latest research and innovative technologies. In this section, we will detail some of the surgeries we offer, including:

Surgery for benign breast pathology includes treatment of fibroadenomas, simple breast cysts, intraductal papillomas, galactocysts, breast abscesses and mastitis.
We also specialize in the surgery of malignant breast pathology, also known as breast oncologic surgery. To this end, as mentioned, we offer as our patients’ palette of interventions, conservative breast surgery (lumpectomy, sectorectomy and breast cadranectomy with concomitant management of the axilla), as well as radical breast surgery, such as simple and radical mastectomies, with or without preservation of the skin or the areolammary complex and with immediate or delayed/two-staged reconstruction. Concurrent with primary breast tumor surgery, we perform axillary staging or curative axillary surgery using the dual-tracer sentinel lymph node technique, axillary lymphadenectomy or tailored axillary lymphadenectomy.
For patients who wish to preserve the aesthetic appearance of the breast, we also offer oncoplastic breast conserving techniques, as well as immediate or delayed breast reconstruction using expander/implant based technology.
Due to the increasing number of patients who have a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancers, who undergo genetic testing in order to detect the presence of mutations that favor the development of breast and/or ovarian cancers, we also offer the full range of prophylactic mastectomies (risk reducing), with preservation of the areola-mammary complex, and immediate reconstruction, using anatomical silicone implants, placed either behind the pectoral muscle or behind the skin/in front of the pectoral muscle. Through our collaboration with plastic surgeons, we also offer the option of immediate reconstructions based on autologous (own) tissue. In the case of prophylactic surgery, it is not necessary to surgically approach the axilla.

PRACTICE LOCATION

Diagnostic and Treatment Location

MEDICOVER HOSPITAL

CONSULTATIONS / OPERATIONS

Str. Principala, nr. 323T

Suceagu, commune Baciu, Cluj, Cluj county

Appointments: +40 378 119 933

+40 744 495 933