‘C S’ of BREAST CANCER - in Clear and Simple Terms.…!
Breast
Cancer
is
a
Cause
of
Stress
and
anguish
for
all
women,
But,
Curable
Solutions
are
available
today.
We have
Conservative Surgery (only 'Lumpectomy')
Along with
Combination Schedules of multimodality treatment
that are
Conveniently Sandwiched
to provide
Cancer free Survival to normal life span!
The
Commonest
Symptom
is
the
painless
lump
in
the
breast
With
Clinical
Signs
of
being
irregular
in
shape,
and
hard
in
consistency.
Later
Changes
on
the
Skin
like
dimpling,
nipple
retraction
even
ulceration
can
follow.
Often,
Covered
by
the
Shoulder,
glands
of
spread,
enlarge
in
the
armpit
/
axilla.
Helped
by
Created
Shadows
on
Imaging
/
Scans,
the
size
and
extent
of
the
disease
are
determined.
However,
Cytology
Samples
by
needle
aspiration
are
needed
to
confirm
the
malignancy,
And
Core
Substance
tissue
by
'Trucut' Biopsy
of
the
lump
are
mandated
For
Categorization
and
Selection
of
Treatment.
It
is
with
the
Cordial
Stance
of
the
medical
teams,
that
the
the
patient
and
family
are
Counselled
and
Spoken
to,
on
choice
of
ideal
Treatment.
This
is
Commenced
as
Soon
as
possible.
Occasionally,
Chemotherapy
Sessions
may
be
tiresome,
But
with
Courage
and
Stoicism
And
Caring
Support
groups,
The
whole
duration
of
therapy
is
Completed
Swiftly.
Return
to
normal
life
motivates
the
patient
to
set
up
Cancer
Survivor
groups,
to
spread
awareness
Of
Breast
Cancer
Cognizance
and
Sensitivity,
by
teaching
ladies
the
art
of
regular
(monthly)
and
Careful
Self-examination.
After
all,
it
is
the
detection
of
the
Curable,
small
(early)
lesion
Rather
than
that
of
the
large
(late,
locally
advanced)
lump
which
has
Chosen
to
Spread,
That
forms
the
basis
of
all
Community
Screening
programmes.
This
helps
to
reduce
the
Commonness
and
Suffering
of
the
Curtailable
Scourge
of
Breast
Cancer.
(Dr C S Rajan, MS, MNAMS, FRCS(Glasg.), DHHM.Emeritus Consultant Surgeon & NBE Teacher, St Martha's Hospital, Bengaluru. Email : [email protected])