The key to surviving breast cancer is early detection because a woman has more treatment options and a good chance of a complete recovery. It is important for women to know their own breasts and examine them regularly to check for any changes that may occur. Women over age 20 should examine their breasts on a monthly basis. The best time to perform this examination is seven to 10 days after the start of the menstruation cycle. A screening mammogram detects changes in women who have no signs of breast cancer.
Several treatments exist in order to treat breast cancer, but the main treatment is surgery.
Usually one of two surgical approaches are used, either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. The aim of surgery is to cure breast cancer by removing all the tumor and a border of normal tissue around it, while saving as much breast tissue as possible. With a lumpectomy, the surgeon removes the lump and the border of surrounding tissue. In addition, a few lymph nodes in the armpit may be taken out and a biopsy may be taken to check if the cancer has spread. When undergoing a mastectomy, a variety of procedures can be used to remove some or the entire breast, underarm lymph nodes and lining over the chest muscles.