Everything You Need to Know about Breast Cancer

The National Cancer Institute reports that breast cancer is the second-most common cancer in women. This is probably no surprise, but did you know men can get breast cancer too? If you received a breast cancer diagnosis and need surgery, trust our team of caring and skilled surgeons at South Florida Surgical Group in Miami, Florida. Here’s everything you need to know about breast cancer and how we can help you get on the road to recovery.

Breast cancer causes

Breast cancer results from changes in your genes called mutations. These mutations cause cells to multiply and grow uncontrollably. There are certain risk factors that make it more likely someone develops breast cancer. These include:

• A family or personal history of breast cancer
• Obesity
• Older age
• Dense breast tissue
• Genetic mutations called BRCA1 and BRCA2

Lifestyle factors also increase your risk of developing breast cancer. These include:

• Smoking
• Drinking too much alcohol

While you may not be able to change your family history, you can live a healthy and active lifestyle to help you lower your breast cancer risk. This means adding whole, nutritious foods into your diet and getting some exercise.

Breast cancer types and staging

Doctors determine your treatment plan by what type of breast cancer you have and what stage it’s in. 

Types

Breast cancer can be classified as invasive or noninvasive.

• Invasive ductal carcinoma: a common breast cancer that starts in the milk ducts and invades nearby tissue; may spread to other parts of the body
• Invasive lobular carcinoma: develops in the breast lobules and invades nearby tissue; may spread to other parts of the body
• Ductal carcinoma in situ: cancer cells are confined to the milk ducts
• Lobular carcinoma in situ: cancer cells are confined to the lobules

Staging

Cancer staging is based on how large the tumor is and whether cancer cells have spread to other areas of the body. Breast cancer stages range from 0, which is ductal or lobular carcinoma in situ, to 4. Stage 4 is also called metastatic breast cancer. This means the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. Cancer that spreads is harder to treat; that’s why it’s important to catch it as early as possible. 

Breast cancer surgery

The type of surgery you need depends on how large your tumor is and if it’s spread to nearby lymph nodes. Here’s a closer look:

• Lumpectomy: used for small tumors that are easy to remove; a small amount of healthy tissue around the tumor is also removed to make sure no cancer cells have spread
• Mastectomy: used for larger tumors and when the cancer cells may have spread to other areas of the breast; removal of one or both breasts
• Sentinel node biopsy: used to tell if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
• Axillary lymph node dissection: removal of lymph nodes in the armpit; used when cancer is found in the sentinel lymph node
• Breast reconstruction: used after a mastectomy to make the breast look natural; may improve a patient’s self-esteem and help them cope with a breast cancer diagnosis

As you can see, breast cancer is complex, and there’s no one-size-fits-all surgery. We base our surgical plan on your specific needs, and we’ll work with your oncologist and other members of your care team to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help you. 

When you’re ready to take this next step, simply request an appointment online or give us a call at 305-279-9522. We’re here for you.