Breast Cancer

The best thing about breast cancer is that it is the most curable form of cancer. Early detection followed by right treatment can save life of the patient. The basic and the very first symptoms for breast cancer are any changes in shape of the breast or lump in the breast or any discharge from the breast . Breast cancer begins in breast tissue which is made up of glands for milk production called lobules, and the ducts that connect the lobules to the nipple. The remainder of the breast is made up of fatty, connective, and lymphatic tissue. Breast cancer in 98% of the cases is in females. However in most of the cases diagnosis of breast lump, nipple discharge or breast pain is delayed as women are not comfortable discussing the same with male doctor.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Puckering & Dimpling of skin of breast

Nipple Retraction and Discharge

Thickening of skin or lump

Change in breast size

Change in nipple position of breast

Breast Cancer Treatment

Once Cancer has been diagnosed through Mammography, Breast Ultrasound, FNAC or Biopsy then PET CT is done to check whether the cancer is localized in the Breast or has spread to other parts of the body. If the cancer is localized in the Breast then the best treatment option is surgery to remove either the breast lump or to remove the breast completely.

Lumpectomy - Lumpectomy is done to remove the extra growth in the form of lump by the Breast Surgeon. Lumpectomy, also known as breast-conserving surgery is done to remove only the tumour and a small amount of surrounding tissue. Lumpectomy is also done in cases where the Breast Lump is non cancerous.

Mastectomy - Our Breast Surgeon do the Mastectomy surgery to remove all of the breast cancer tissue. Mastectomy surgery is more refined and less intrusive than it used to be because in most cases the muscles under the breast are no longer removed. In India during the breast cancer treatment Lymph node removal or axillaries lymph node dissection can take place during lumpectomy and mastectomy if the biopsy shows that breast cancer has spread outside the milk ducts to get best results.

Chemotherapy - There are many best hospitals in India for chemotherapy with best facilities for cancer patient. Chemotherapy is generally advised by the doctors in case the tumour is cancerous and too big in size to operate. Chemotherapy is sometimes done before the breast cancer surgery to reduce the size of the tumour.

Radiation therapy through IGRT or IMRT is mostly given post breast cancer surgery. In India IGRT in hospitals is the most advanced technology in radiation therapy for cancer treatment. Radiation during the breast cancer treatment is given by the doctor to treat the tissues and nodes around the affected area which cannot be removed through surgery.

Best Doctors and Cost

Dr Shamim Ali is the best and extensively trained Surgeon at Umeed Hospital, Purnia, bihar. The cost of Breast Cancer Treatment depends upon the stage of the cancer. In early stage only lumpectomy followed by chemotherapy is required. Cost of breast lumpectomy would be approximately Rs 35,000 while the cost of chemotherapy would depend upon the type of medicines used based on the results of IHC markers. Whereas in case of advanced stage it could be chemotherapy/radiotherapy followed by surgery. Hence the exact cost for the breast cancer treatment cannot be ascretained as it depends upon case to case. If you have an individual health insurance policy then this surgery is covered after a period of 1 month from the date of inception of the policy. However if you are a beneficiary of company given policy then the surgery is covered from day one. Always go through the terms of your health insurance policy like room rent capping and co-payment to avoid any kind of financial shocks later on.