OCR Text |
Show Answers Given To Cancer ???? A young woman writes: "I am confused by the different names for breast cancer surgery. sur-gery. What does 'radical' or 'simple' mean?" ANSWERLINE: The operation opera-tion which removes breast tissue, tis-sue, a mastectomy, can be considered "simple" when just the breast is removed and "radical" when the breast and underlying muscles and nearby lymph nodes that drain the breast are removed. There are other variations of the Operation which your physician can describe. A reader insists: "Something happens to a woman's arm after a mastectomy, mastec-tomy, doesn't it? Losing a breast is bad enough, but who needs that as welll" ANSWERLINE: It's true that "something" (difficulty in arm movement) does happen hap-pen to some women's arms because of tissue removed during some types of mastectomy. mastec-tomy. But, the happy news is that proper rehabilitative exercises can restore the affected af-fected arm to mobility and comfort. The right exercise pays off! a young homemaker explains: "My grandmother had a mastectomy many years ago. Today, it seems to me they are still doing the same type of operation. Hasn't anything else but surgery been discovered in all this time?" ANSWERLINE: Surgery remains the main form of breast cancer treatment because it is still the best. But, it is not the only means of treating breast cancer. Today's physician uses a "team" approach in evaluating evaluat-ing each patient and the medical profession can call upon radiation, hormones, drugs, and surgery to control this disease. Question: "Isn't there a program to help women look all right after breast surgery?" ANSWERLINE: Yes. It is the Reach to Recovery program of the American Cancer Society and it is designed to help a patient look her best and feel as much of a woman as ever. Contact your local ACS office for additional information. Mrs. H.L. writes: "I suppose sup-pose that I shouldn't complain because I had a mastectomy four years ago, and my health is fine. Nonetheless, I wonder if a woman can ever get used to having had this operation?" ANSWERLINE: There are thousands and thousands of American women busy enjoying enjoy-ing life and unless they chose to mention it, it would be impossible im-possible to tell that they have had breast surgery. There are women like our First Lady, Mrs. Betty Ford, who are certainly as attractive as ever. Since so many women are able to continue in their jobs, marry, or keep on being important to their men and families, it would seem they have discovered that mastectomy mastec-tomy isn't important when compared with life itself. QUESTION: "1 am so confused con-fused by the different types of breast surgery that I wouldn't know what to do if 1 discovered that I had breast cancer. How could I decide what is best?" Answerline: There is a great deal of discussion about breast cancer treatment but one thing is clear-it must be treated. Breast cancer just doesn't go away. Recommendations Recommen-dations for the treatment of breast cancer should be made by the physician on an individual in-dividual basis only after careful evaluation and diagnosis. diag-nosis. THE PATIENT and selected members of the family should be thoroughly advised by the physician about the proposed surgery and its rationale. A regular feature of this newspaper prepared by your American Cancer Society to help save your life from cancer. 610 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102. |