Diagnostic tools are more precise and the disease is better understood. Traditional options still largely apply, but employing them is no longer automatic. Each case is unique and individually analyzed. The breast cancer patient has choices and is an active participant in the decision making process.

A common surgery option is a lumpectomy. Just as it sounds a lumpectomy is a surgery in which the clump causing the cancer is removed. There are a large range of choices when getting a lumpectomy. The amount of tissues that are removed from around the clump vary. Surgeons typically make the decision regarding how much of a reduction is needed to reduce the chances of recurring cancer.

Depending on the size and location, and how long the tumor has been developing, one or more lymph nodes might be removed during a lumpectomy. The lymph nodes are oval, bean-sized glands that are part of a connected system that runs throughout the body. They play a major role in the immune system, fighting bacteria and the invasion of foreign bodies.

Once cancer has reached and infected a lymph node the cancer can easily and quickly spread all over the body through the blood vessels connecting the lymph nodes together. If this occurs it can make cancer extremely difficult to treat. Often times chemotherapy and even radiation treatments are necessary at this stage.

To minimize the likelihood of that happening, surgeons will sometimes remove one or more lymph nodes near a cancerous tumor. Then, lab tests are performed to check for any spread of the cancer. Here again, each case is unique and the options and likely actions should be discussed with all the physicians involved.

Like other cancer types breast cancer also develops in different stages. The stages are determined by size and tumor type, and also tumor location. When breast cancer reaches a point that it is necessary surgery beyond a lumpectomy might be required. The patient and the doctor could determine that a partial or segmental mastectomy is needed.

In that procedure more breast tissue is removed than in a simple lumpectomy. In many cases radiation therapy may be part of the follow up treatment regimen, often extending for six or eight weeks. The goal is to ensure that all the cancer was removed, or that any remaining malignant tissue the surgeon was unable to get is destroyed by the radiation.

In cases that are more extreme, which are not as likely today, a mastectomy might be performed. The majority or all of the breast is removed. When no lymph nodes are removed the procedure is called either total or simple mastectomy. When all of the breast tissue has been removed in addition to the nipple and lymph nodes in the armpit the surgery is called a modified radical mastectomy.

When the surgeon is forced to remove the chest wall muscles also the procedure is referred to as a radical mastectomy. Luckily this action is extreme and usually not necessary today. When it is required reconstructive surgery and prosthetics can often be used to restore an individuals appearance completely.

An individual's stay in the hospital varies depending on the type of treatment they must undergo. These treatments can vary from outpatient surgery where the individual is released the same day to a week for procedures that are more intense. You should explore and research all of the options available to you carefully. You should ask questions and not be put off by a physician's busy schedule. You must find a physician that is willing to answer all of your questions in detail in layman's terms. This is the first step toward getting proper treatment.