Early-stage breast cancer treatment
Treatment of early-stage breast cancer often involves more than one approach. Surgery is usually the first step. Most women with early-stage breast cancer have a choice between 2 surgical treatments: 1. Breast-sparing surgery, followed by radiation therapy, 2. Mastectomy, 3. Mastectomy with breast reconstruction surgery.
The goal of both surgeries is to remove all of the cancer from the breast. The doctor will also want to find out if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
Compare Your Choices
Breast-sparing surgery with radiation is a safe choice for most women who have early-stage breast cancer.This means that your cancer is DCIS or at Stage I, IIA, IIB, or IIIA.
Mastectomy is a safe choice for women who have early-stage breast cancer (DCIS, Stage I, IIA, IIB, or IIIA). You may need a mastectomy if:
- You have small breasts and a large tumor.
- You have cancer in more than one part of your breast.
- The tumor is under the nipple.
- You do not have access to radiation therapy.
If you have a mastectomy, you might also want breast reconstruction surgery.
You can choose to have reconstruction surgery at the same time as your mastectomy or wait and have it at a later date.
