When it comes to women and diseases, there are endless stories to share, especially breast cancer, which many worry about and may unknowingly be at risk. In the past, Thai women have increasingly suffered from this disease and were treated by breast removal surgery, causing patients to lose confidence in their lives after surgery.
Medical statistics show that Thai women have an increasing risk of breast cancer every year, found in ages ranging from late 20s to 80 years old, but most commonly between 35 and 50 years old. Breast cancer is a major concern for women because breasts are still seen as a symbol of femininity. Removing them naturally affects confidence. However, with new medical methods, patients may not need to undergo removal as before. Similarly, women with large breasts can have them reduced in the same surgery through breast-conserving surgery called Oncoplastic Breast Surgery.
For example, the first female patient, aged 40, had breast cancer in her left breast. She chose breast-conserving surgery. Since she had large breasts causing back and shoulder pain, affecting daily life, the doctor planned to remove the cancerous tumor without removing the breast and simultaneously reduce the breast size so the patient would not have to endure multiple surgeries.
The result is that the patient can live normally without worrying about pain caused by abnormally large breasts. This is considered a single surgery with double benefits, suitable for women at risk in both cases.
However, there are patients who cannot undergo breast-conserving surgery due to certain medical contraindications. For example, a 30-year-old female patient with multiple tumors in her right breast had to have the entire breast removed to prevent spread. The patient expected to have breasts as before because she could not accept having no breasts like a normal woman.
The breast surgeon therefore recommended breast reconstruction surgery, performed at the same time as the removal. The treatment result allowed the patient to live confidently and normally, representing another option for a single-pain surgery.
The surgical procedure is one of the treatments for breast cancer, where doctors consider modern surgical approaches that do not focus on destroying the breast as in the past but aim to remove only the malignant tumor completely to preserve the breast as much as possible, whether through oncoplastic surgery or breast reconstruction.
Breast cancer is considered a silent threat because early symptoms do not cause pain. Abnormalities may be found in the breast such as lumps, changes in size and shape, dimpling, wrinkling, contraction, or scaly skin, itching or abnormal redness of the nipple, blood or discharge from the nipple, breast pain, or swelling of the armpit.
However, with today’s new technology, women no longer need to fear multiple painful surgeries as before because a single surgery with collaboration from various specialists allows patients to return to normal as much as possible.
But the best care and prevention is regular self-breast examination every month and promptly seeing a doctor when abnormalities occur. Importantly, women aged 35 and over should have an annual mammogram with a specialist to keep Thai women safe from breast cancer.
