There are two kinds of breast reconstruction, those that use artificial substances and those that use tissue from the patient's own body. The Tram Flap uses the patient's abdominal tissue to reconstruct the breast. In certain cases, when tissue cannot be taken from the patient's abdomen for medical reasons, the reconstruction is done with tissue taken from the back. Nipple reconstruction techniques also have improved during the last several years. Plastic surgeons are usually able to use tissue from the breast area to make a nipple which is then tatooed to match the other breast nipple.
Special machines deliver precisely targeted beams of radiation to the site of the cancer.
This therapy is painless and has minimal side effects. Though rare, some women report a feeling of fullness or swelling in the breast, flu-like symptoms , or when lymph nodes are treated, swelling under the arm. Radiation therapy is most often recommended for patients undergoing lumpectomy and less frequently for women who have undergone mastectomy. Typical treatment for early stage breast cancer typically requires six weeks of daily treatments. Chemotherapy involves the use of anticancer drugs, usually taken intravenously or orally, to destroy breast cancer cells that have survived surgery.