Necessary for Breast Biopsy and/or Breast Surgery

 If you have had a breast biopsy then you know who your radiologist or breast surgeon is. If you had a cancer diagnosis you also know who your medical oncologist or radiation oncologist is. However, most patients who undergo a breast biopsy in northwest Houston or have breast surgery in Houston never get to know a very important member of their health care team-the doctor who gave them their diagnosis-their pathologist.

A pathologist is a medical doctor who spent an additional 3-5 years after medical school in a residency specializing in Anatomic or Clinical Pathology (or both). Many pathologists also spend another year or two doing a fellowship to sub-specialize. A breast pathologist is an Anatomic Pathologist who specializes in breast cancer and other breast diseases.

For breast surgery (breast biopsy, lumpectomy or mastectomy) or post-surgical breast cancer treatment, hypnosis is an excellent complementary therapy that can enhance the positive effects of various therapies. Using hypnotherapy in combination with your medical breast cancer treatment (breast surgery treatment) will make you feel more empowered and in control of your care, and it will help you maximize your overall wellness.

Breast cancer is appeared when a lump or thickening in a breast is felt during breast self-examination. Other causes that could lead to suspicion are lump in the armpit area, scaly skin on the breast, nipple discharges other than milk, nipple retraction or nipple inversion, reddening of breast skin, change in size or shape of a matured breast, nipple itching and breast pain. These symptoms do not always mean that there is cancer; but once any of these is detected, the person is strongly recommended to visit a doctor for examination. A doctor can confirm the presence of a lump by doing palpation. Palpation means feeling the entire breast. Imaging studies like ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be done. Mammography may even be recommended. Once confirmed, a doctor's only option is to recommend for the patient to undergo a breast biopsy.

A Breast Surgery for Breast biopsy can be done in a clinic or a hospital, depending on the size of the growth to be examined. For surgical procedures, local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used. For non-surgical procedures, anesthesia may not be needed. At the most, local anesthesia will be used. These procedures can be done by doctors fast. Risk of complications such as infection is minimal. With or without anesthesia, patients may feel little to no pain at all. Pain or discomfort can be lessened by over-the-counter pain relievers.

Breast Surgery in the manner of Breast Biopsy results range from normal to abnormal. A normal result would mean that there is no sign of cancer present. An abnormal result on the other hand would mean that the lump is either benign or malignant. Benign growths include non-cancerous disorders like cyst, papilloma, fat necrosis and adenofibroma. Malignant or cancerous growths comprise colloid carcinoma, medullary, infiltrating ductal carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, lobular carcinoma, sarcoma or circumscribed carcinoma and inflammatory carcinoma.

Once the result of the breast surgery in the breast biopsy shows that the lump is benign, no additional procedures are needed. Visits to the doctor for usual checkups after breast biopsy