There's good news about breast cancer. Thanks to earlier detection, the death rate for this disease has been dropping for more than a decade. And new breast cancer treatments and techniques mean women have more options than ever before. First, more women are aware of the need for early detection, so women are performing self-exams, getting annual exams from their doctors and having annual mammograms if they're older than 40. Mammograms are becoming more sensitive, making it easier for radiologists to view possible tumors.
Doctors often use ultrasound to further evaluate a suspicious area before turning to a biopsy.
If the tumor is relatively small, women often have a choice between mastectomy, and a breast-conserving treatment called lumpectomy, explains Amy Gonsier, M.D., F.A.C.S., a general surgeon at O'Connor Hospital. Lumpectomy usually requires six or seven weeks of radiation treatment following surgery. With a mastectomy, doctors can perform the initial steps for breast reconstruction at the same time the breast is removed. It's an individual decision, but more women are choosing breast conservation. With either mastectomy or lumpectomy, surgeons removed the lymph nodes as well as the breast tissue.