Treatment Archives - Breast Health Institute Houston

Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy

September 12, 2022 by Breast Institute

A positive breast cancer diagnosis comes with a number of important decisions. The amount of time you have to mull over your options will depend on your individual situation. Regardless, your breast cancer surgeon in Houston will be happy to discuss all of your surgical options with you to help you understand the potential benefits of each option. Let’s examine a lumpectomy vs. mastectomy. Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy There are many surgical variations used to remove cancerous tissue from breasts, but two of the most recognizable categories are lumpectomies and mastectomies. Generally speaking, lumpectomies are a more targeted surgical removal, and mastectomies usually require the removal of most, if not all, breast tissue. In order to better understand what these two options offer, let’s discuss the primary differences between lumpectomies and mastectomies. Understanding Lumpectomies What Is a Lumpectomy? A lumpectomy is a procedure that is designed to remove the tumor …

Choosing Lumpectomy or Mastectomy

December 28, 2021 by Breast Institute

Breast cancer never comes at a convenient time. One day you’re living life as usual. And the next you’re faced with a dozen decisions you have never even considered. One of the most important decisions you will face after receiving a cancer diagnosis is deciding how aggressively you want your cancer treated. Let’s look at choosing lumpectomy or mastectomy. Choosing Lumpectomy or Mastectomy Just twenty years ago, the options available to patients now would have been practically unheard of, but the sheer volume of choices can feel absolutely crushing. That is why we have designed this brief guide to highlight some of the broader categorical options available to you. This is not designed to replace professional medical advice. The intent is to merely give you a secondary source of information to help you process your breast tumor treatment options when it all feels like too much. Let’s start simple: …

Talking With Your Doctor about Surgery Options

March 4, 2021 by Breast Institute

There are a lot of thoughts going through your mind after an abnormal mammogram. There’s the possibility of cancer and the question of what treatment is right for you, but it’s a good idea to slow down and take a little time to process everything during those early days. Talking with your doctor about surgery options is vital. When you visit your breast specialist in Houston, we work closely with you along every step. From the first Houston mammogram to the following steps, we are always here for you. Talking With Your Doctor about Surgery Options First of all, keep in mind that your abnormal mammogram may not indicate cancer. You will need further testing to establish whether or not you actually have breast cancer and to see how far it has progressed. Second, if it turns out you do have cancer, the process has improved quite a bit …

How Long Does it Take to Treat Breast Cancer?

December 10, 2020March 9, 2020 by Breast Institute

Pink breast cancer ribbon on alarm clock

There are many factors to consider when determining how long breast cancer takes to treat. Even your doctor will only be able to give estimates based on how far your cancer has spread through the breast tissue and where it has metastasized if it has metastasized at all. Their estimates are based on decades of experience and medical research. However, you should still ask your doctor to give you two estimates, one that imagines everything going to plan and one that factors in common complications. Taking all factors into consideration, the Mayo Clinic suggests that the average treatment length for breast cancer can be divided into two categories: early-stage breast cancer and advanced breast cancer. When trying to figure out how long breast cancer takes to treat, it’s important to start here. If you’re lucky and catch your condition early on, then your breast cancer treatment will generally last …

Coping with Chemo: What to Expect and How to Handle it

September 17, 2020February 5, 2020 by Breast Institute

A breast cancer diagnosis is a life-changing experience. There’s no denying that simple fact. To do otherwise would ignore everything your body has meant to you. Imminent surgery is already a lot to handle. You will have to decide with your doctor how you want to approach it. You can maintain a level of control in regard to your decision of when or if to have reconstructive surgery; however, when it comes to chemotherapy, control can often seem out of reach. This can make coping with chemotherapy very difficult.

Taking Control with Breast Cancer Fighting Foods

September 17, 2020September 24, 2019 by Breast Institute

Pink ribbon on dining table for breast cancer fighting foods

We all worry about what we’re putting in our bodies. However, the rush of daily life so often gets in the way. However, when it comes to cancer, patients must engage with these decisions in a whole new way. It’s no longer a question of a healthy weight or ultimate longevity in the far-off future. When you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, your diet becomes one of the few fighting tools you still have control over. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective breast cancer fighting foods.

Is Lumpectomy Major Surgery?

September 17, 2020August 12, 2019 by Breast Institute

Lumpectomy describes a procedure which removes cancer from the breast. It should not be confused with mastectomy, the partial or complete removal of the breast. Is lumpectomy a major surgery? With a lumpectomy, only the tumor and a small rim of surrounding tissue are removed. This leaves the general shape of the breast and nipple intact.

Radiation is usually given after lumpectomy to get rid of any cancer too small to be seen on mammograms. The lumpectomy plus radiation Survival rate is the same as with a mastectomy.

Mastectomy vs. Skin Sparing Mastectomy

September 17, 2020July 15, 2019 by Breast Institute

A mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast. It is usually a procedure that women need after a breast cancer diagnosis. There are several different types of mastectomy, including total mastectomy, skin- and nipple-sparing mastectomy, radical mastectomy, and a double mastectomy. Here we will discuss the most common mastectomies. If you are looking for breast surgeons in Houston, look no further than the Breast Institute Houston. With state of the art breast cancer treatment options, we aim to make this journey as painless as possible for you.

The Link Between Infertility Treatment and Breast Cancer

September 17, 2020April 25, 2019 by Breast Institute

According to breastcancer.org, fertility treatments seem to affect breast cancer risk in younger women who succeed in conceiving. These findings are from a July 12, 2012, study by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Women whose fertility treatments resulted in conception were found more likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not conceive.

A Personalized Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment

September 16, 2020September 17, 2018 by Breast Institute

If you are concerned about your breasts or have been diagnosed with breast cancer, the last thing you are looking for is a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. When searching for breast cancer treatment in Houston, you will be focused on finding the doctor who provides the most personalized approach. The good news is, today, testing for dozens of biomarkers means oncologists can fine-tune breast cancer treatments in ways not even dreamed of “just an eye-blink ago.”