StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Breast cancer Treatments: Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy Breast cancer Treatments: Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy 0 Breast cancer Treatments: Lumpectomy vs Mastectomy Introduction For the past several decades, mastectomy has been the cornerstone of treatment for the different types of breast cancer…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.6% of users find it useful
Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy"

Download file to see previous pages

Consequently, both are the main choices of patients and physicians in treating the disease. Both procedures are also found to have equal survival rates. However, with the increasing awareness of women afflicted with breast cancer on the impact of surgery on their psychological state related to loss of their breast, more and more women are resorting to a less invasive treatment which is lumpectomy and adjuvant therapies. Added to this is the notion that mastectomy is over used. Lumpectomy is a surgical removal of the breast lump including some normal tissues.

Although, lumpectomy and adjuvant therapies are preferred methods of treatment for most women with breast cancer, their use is bombarded with several controversies. Body One distinct issue with lumpectomy includes the inadequate outcome data to the extent of its use and efficacy. Clinical trials included insufficient size to establish a convincing result of its application. Although, there had been multiple randomized trials of lumpectomy in patients with or without radiation, it was found out that the survival rates are based solely on unpublished analysis.

In addition, participants in several studies were over treated producing a bias result. This was revealed in the study by Cumming (n.d) where he added that using a meta- analysis pose a risk on grounds that methods might be a concern. Cumming also found out that in the case of ductal carcinoma alone, data is limited to show importance of lumpectomy and other treatments following it. Consensus among pathologists on pathologic staging is also a question because there is no recommendation as to the exact stage lumpectomy is effective.

It was further revealed that studies on radiation therapy after lumpectomy had no uniform techniques in using different radiotherapy agent such as iridium, electron beam, and cesium needle brachytherapy. Added to the above problem is controversy surrounding the falsified claim that lumpectomy with adjuvant therapy was as effective as mastectomy. The lead investigators are found to commit misconduct with the result of their study of not providing the correct result of their study. Although, lumpectomy has been found to be effective with the early stages of cancer, its credibility was damaged because of the controversy which ruined the trust not only of patients but the public in general towards lumpectomy and adjuvant therapies.

This shows that not only the lack of data on the efficacy of lumpectomy combined with adjuvant therapies is a problem but is accompanied with several other problems. Interestingly though, the study published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute ( 2004) reported that there is a significant decrease in the recurrence in the number of patients who went through lumpectomy with radiotherapy however not in lumpectomy alone. There is also no survival advantage even with the addition of radiotherapy.

Similar with the study of Cumming, the JNCI reported that information from current and previous studies are found to be deficient in attesting that lumpectomy in combination with adjuvant therapy is more promising. Whether lumpectomy is a choice of the patient or the physician, cost is also an issue for the choice of therapy among women with breast cancer. Lumpectomy with radiation therapy is more costly than mastectomy. Munoz and company (1986) found out in their

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/nursing/1438184-breast-cancer-treatments-lumpectomy-vs-mastectomy
(Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy Vs. Mastectomy Essay)
https://studentshare.org/nursing/1438184-breast-cancer-treatments-lumpectomy-vs-mastectomy.
“Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy Vs. Mastectomy Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/nursing/1438184-breast-cancer-treatments-lumpectomy-vs-mastectomy.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Breast Cancer Treatments Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy

Mastectomy for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, Impact on Patient

Mastectomy for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, Impact on Patient Introduction Diagnostic breast biopsy that confirms Ductal Carcinoma in Situ or DCIS diagnosis introduced two techniques of wire-location open surgery and directional vacuum-assisted biopsy with the goals to prevent local recurrence after completion of first treatment, and prevention of invasive breast cancer (Medifocus, 2011).... Education, better access and more widespread availability of screening mammography has resulted in an increase in breast cancer diagnoses (Welch Weloshin & Schwartz 2008)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Breast Cancer Is There a Cure

breast cancer is one of the growing diseases among women all over the world.... A lot of cures have been identified for the breast cancer in the recent years.... … breast cancer, Is There A Cure?... Cherry Hilliard Biology 210-07 breast cancer, is there a cure?... breast cancer is one of the growing diseases among women all over the world.... A lot of cures have been identified for the breast cancer in the recent years....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

What Causes Cancer Mutations

The article deals with the genetic aspects, the risk factors associated with the cancer along with the symptoms diagnosis and management of the breast cancer.... In case of the breast cancer, woman who inherits a single defective copy of either of these tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 displays an augmented risk of developing breast cancer.... cancer is curable in the present epoch if it is diagnosed in the early stages....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Breast Cancer and Radiotherapy

breast cancer has risen to become one of the most prevalent cancers in the world today.... In the early stages of breast cancer, the disease appears to be confined to the fatty tissues of the breast.... … breast cancer has got many risk factors.... The majority cases of breast cancer are reported among women who are above 50 years.... When 15 -20 per cent of the tumors shows a strong presence of the HER2, the condition is referred to as HER2 positive breast cancer....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

breast cancer Date Introduction Ladies and gentlemen!... breast cancer is a disease that may lead to death of a patient.... hellip; This is the most common type of breast cancer.... The second type of breast cancer is lobular carcinoma, which begins in the lobules, the milk-producing parts of the breast.... breast cancer can also originate from other areas of the breast, but this is rare.... breast cancer can either be noninvasive or invasive....
4 Pages (1000 words) Speech or Presentation

Risk Factors for Local Recurrence of Breast Cancer

A woman has 8 -10% chances of developing breast cancer in her life time.... With over 1 million cases of breast cancer reported annually, it comprises 18% of all cancers in women.... Long exposure to oestrogen as in case of early menarche, late menopause and late first pregnancy increases risk for breast cancer.... The lifestyle such as obesity, alcohol consumption is also related to breast cancer (Singletary et al 2004; McPherson et al 2000)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

The Scientific Method in Everyday Life

These new forms of breast cancer treatments, Double Mastectomy and Lumpectomy, are quite a development in Breast Cancer since the body is not subjected to radiation that often kills healthy cells.... For instance, there is breast cancer that primarily affects breast cells.... For instance, there is breast cancer that primarily affects breast cells.... Scientists are applying different and numerous scientific methods towards enhancing treatments of cancers including breast cancer....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer Post Mastectomy

This study “Quality of Life in Women with breast cancer Post Mastectomy” is intended to add to the existing literature and help to develop a plan to aid patients in achieving their highest possible quality of.... Data will be collected from post-mastectomy breast cancer patients.... Since survival rates are improving, more attention must be given to the quality of life for breast cancer survivors (ASPS, 2011).... A good deal more research is needed to help post-mastectomy breast cancer patients achieve the highest quality of life possible....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us