Breast cancer is no longer a fatal disease. This condition can be successfully cured in stages 1, 2, and 3. Even at stage 4, the oncological process can be controlled for many years using modern medications and therapeutic methods. You can travel abroad to get medical care for this disease. You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to see the best Breast Centers in Germany.
Cancer surgery in Germany
Breast cancer is treated by sparing methods, and the breast is rarely removed completely now. In addition, both after partial and complete removal surgery, the breast can be restored with the help of reconstructive plastic surgery. This can be a single-stage operation, which is performed immediately after tumor removal, or a delayed surgical procedure, which is done after a few months.
A standard operation to remove a breast tumor involves partial removal of the mammary gland and lymph nodes. Sometimes lymph nodes can not be removed. If you are undergoing your breast cancer treatment in Germany, a sentinel lymph node biopsy will be performed at an early stage. This is an intraoperative diagnostic procedure to identify or rule out regional metastasis.
Doctors inject a radioactive substance into the area of the tumor, and then use a gamma camera to determine in which lymph nodes it accumulates. These nodes are considered sentinel nodes. They are removed and examined in the laboratory. With a high probability, if there are no metastases, there are also no metastatic foci in the lymph nodes located further from the tumor. Removing a large number of nodes is therefore not necessary. Refusal of this stage of the operation significantly reduces the risk of complications, the most common of which is lymphedema (lymphatic arm swelling).
Sometimes the breast has to be removed completely. These operations abroad are more sparing, as doctors use modified mastectomy options with the preservation of the pectoral muscles. Whenever possible, doctors strive to preserve the nipple-areolar complex so that it is easier to restore the mammary gland.
Radiation therapy and pharmacotherapy
Patients require radiation therapy after partial, and sometimes after complete, breast removal. It is usually carried out within one and a half months. Women attend radiation sessions 5 days a week. In the early stages, doctors also use protocols for accelerated partial breast irradiation, which takes as little as 5 days and, in some cases, is done in one session. Radiation therapy options are as follows:
- Brachytherapy (injection of radioactive substances into the tumor bed for a short time)
- Intraoperative radiation therapy can be performed before wound closure
- External beam radiation therapy is very precise, directed only to the area around the tumor, given twice a day for 5 days
Hospitals in Germany use the latest radiation options to reduce the risk of lung and heart complications.
Most women with breast cancer receive drug therapy. Almost everyone is prescribed chemotherapy, and two-thirds of patients receive hormone therapy. Doctors in Germany also offer modern drug therapy options such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy. These are effective at all stages, including the advanced ones, allowing even the most severe cases of cancer to be contained for many years.
You are welcome to visit the Booking Health website to undergo your diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment for this condition. Our website presents the best Breast Centers, where doctors achieve phenomenal success in the fight against oncology. Here you can also compare the cost of treatment and make your treatment appointment at the best prices. The specialists from the Booking Health company will take care of the organization of breast cancer treatment in Germany.
