CANCER

Breast cancer is one of the most widespread oncologic pathologies in the world. Early detection of cancer plays a really important role in the improvement of treatment and reduction of death rate caused by breast cancer. There are two strategic routes that can be taken in order to boost figures of early cancer detection: to develop early diagnostics and perform screening.

Diagnostics of mammary glands:

• palpation or clinical examination of breast using touch;
• radiological or image diagnostics:

– mammography, tomosynthesis (from 59 EUR);

– ultrasound (from 45 EUR);

– magnetic resonance (from 112 EUR).

• histological examination – the diagnosis of breast cancer is always made by performing biopsy under the guidance of ultrasound or stereotactic (mammography) examination.
• PET/CT examination – the whole body is checked and precise information about the distribution of illness in the body and malignant transformation in the bones, tissues and organs is provided. In case of breast cancer, PET/CT is especially advised in stages IIIa and IIIb, as well as to diagnose metastases, to determine the effectiveness of therapy and to perform post-therapy monitoring. (from 1085 EUR) PET/CT examination is available:
  • RSU NUCLEAR DIGANOSTICS CLINIC

Treatment of breast cancer

Treatment of breast cancer must be performed in specialised centres or departments where therapy is ensured by a team of multidisciplinary breast cancer specialists: surgeon, radiation therapist, oncologist chemotherapist, radiation diagnostician and pathologist (histologist) which specialise specifically in breast cancer diagnostics and treatment. This multidisciplinary team can also include a plastic surgeon, psychologist, physiotherapist, geneticist and nurses that specialise in the field of breast diseases.

When diagnosis of breast cancer is clinically and radiologically established and morphologically confirmed, the treatment is normally devised by a multidisciplinary council. When every case is evaluated by such council, the chances of successful treatment increase.

Surgical treatment comprises of:

• removal of tumour. Normally it means sectorial resection of the mammary gland (one sector of the breast is operated) or mastectomy, that is removal of the breast;
• tissue transfer to reduce or cover the defect. Unfortunately, tissue transfer and good cosmetic effect is not always possible;
• lymph node surgery. Sentinel lymph nodes and sometimes, when clinical situation requires it, all armpit lymph nodes are removed from the armpit.

Removal of tumour is the simplest, yet at the same time, fundamentally important stage of breast surgery. As oncology surgery developed, mastectomy more often is replaced by breast preserving operation.

Breast reconstruction surgery

Collaboration between oncology surgeons and plastic surgeons becomes much closer. It also allows breast surgeons during operations to reconstruct the breast using silicone implants, to transfer levers freely from another anatomic region to cover defects left after oncology operation.  Breast reconstruction can be performed right after oncology operation (single-stage operation), as well as later (delayed reconstruction), when mammary glands are reconstructed after the completion of systemic (chemotherapy) and/ or local (radiation) therapy.

After plastic and reconstructive surgery joined operative breast surgery, the boundary between oncology stage and aesthetic stage reduced. Current breast cancer surgery balances carefully between oncology and aesthetic principles.

Our clinics that offer breast reconstruction plastic surgery:

• PRIVATE CLINIC OF PLASTIC SURGERY
• LATVIAN MICROSURGERY CENTRE

Breast areola reconstruction

It is possible to achieve a visually perfect aesthetic result after implant surgeries using paramedical treatments. Sometimes, after mastectomy operations, when the breast gland is removed due to a malignant tumour, a breast prosthetic implant is inserted and a non-aesthetic scar remains around the areola which can and should be masked following the areola or the surrounding tissues. If the breast areola is missing, it can be reconstructed using 3D drawing (from 70 EUR).
Breast cancer combined treatment often includes radiation therapy. Its side effects could be partial alopecia (hair loss). In this case as well micro-pigmentation can be a great solution to this problem.

Our clinics that offer breast areola reconstruction:

• MICROPIGMENTATION AND COSMETOLOGY CENTER SKY BEAUTY
• PM LABORATORY