Breast Cancer Surgery Cost in India

Who Needs Breast Cancer Surgery?

• Pregnant women in need of radiation therapy.
• Serious connective tissue diseases such as lupus or scleroderma.
• Inflammatory breast cancer.
• Previously treated breast with radiation therapy.
• Women who cannot have radiation therapy.
• Cancer in different parts of the breast that are not close together alters breast appearance.
• Prefers cancer tissue excision rather than radiation therapy.
• When radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy do not prove useful.
• Individuals diagnosed with stage I or II (early phases) of breast cancer.
• Individuals with benign cancers located in the breast’s milk ducts
• If the tumors are small and confined to a single breast area with no spread.
• The individuals who are eligible for radiation therapy.
• When a tumour is bigger than 5 cm or larger than the breast size.

Types of Breast Cancers

There are 4 most common types of breast cancer:

1. Invasive ductal carcinoma: This type accounts for 70%–80% of all breast cancer conditions. This starts in the duct, slowly spreads and surrounds the breast tissue, and eventually metastasises to other body parts.
2. Invasive Lobar Carcinoma: This cancer accounts for only 5%–10% of the overall breast cancer cases, making it very difficult to detect on mammograms and other tests. This appears in lobules and can spread around the breast tissues.
3. Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS): This cancer begins as a tiny lump, does not spread, and accounts for only 20% of newly detected breast cancers.
4. Lobular Carcinoma In Situ (LCIS): It is highly visible and does not spread.

Types of Breast Cancer Surgery

1. Lumpectomy (Breast Conservation Surgery): It is recommended for removing smaller tumours. During this surgery, the surgeon may remove the tumour and a small margin of surrounding healthy tissue with a local wide excision.
2. Mastectomy. A mastectomy is an operation mostly performed to remove all the breast tissue, nipple, areola, some part of the skin, and some superficial fascia of the chest muscles. With mastectomy, new surgeries constantly evolve to improve breast aesthetics. e.g., skin-sparing mastectomy and nipple-sparing mastectomy.
3. Sentinel Node Biopsy Procedure: It’s a diagnostic breast cancer procedure utilized to determine the cancer spread within the patient’s lymphatic system and lymph nodes.
4. Axillary Lymph Node Dissection Procedure: It’s a sentinel lymph node dissection procedure combined with additional removal of lymph nodes from your armpits, utilized when cancer is detected during the sentinel procedure.
5. Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: Some women choose to remove both breast tissues when they have a higher risk of cancer in both breasts due to hereditary factors.
6. Radiation Therapy: This procedure is performed for stage 1 or 2 tumours and involves high-energy radiation that targets the affected breast tissues while causing the least damage to healthy tissue. Whereas, the same applies to hormone therapy and targeted therapy.

How Breast Cancer Surgeries are performed?

Breast cancer treatment is a two-parter surgery. Firstly, a breast diagnosis is performed with a combination of several tests, such as:

• To detect cancerous lumps in or around the breasts, a physical examination, mammography, or ultrasound is used.
• MRI and PET scans deeper to provide the condition’s complexity.
• Once the tissue is detected, it is excised using a biopsy technique.

Breast cancer is directly dependent on the stage of breast cancer and the extent of its spread, and the patient frequently receives many treatments. An oncologist can settle with:

• High-energy rays destroy cancer cells with radiation therapy.
• Preventing cancer cells from gaining access to release hormones they need to develop with hormonal therapy.
• An excision of complete tissue from the breast.
• Minimizing the size of the cancer with the help of specific medications with chemotherapy

Post-Surgical Care and Recovery Phase

• Avoid heavy lifting for the first few weeks.
• Keep the surgical area clean and dry.
• Take 1-2 days of complete bed rest post-discharge.
• Take the medications as prescribed.
• Avoid taking hot baths for a few weeks.
• Restrict yourself from extreme arm movements.
• Perform shoulder and arm physiotherapy as surgeons suggest.
• Take a short-spanned and cardio exercises every day.
• Wear supportive bras as advised.
• Avoid driving, smoking, or any strenuous tasks.

Benefits of Breast Cancer Surgery

• Imparts a better quality of life.
• It helps relieve cancer symptoms faster.
• Chemotherapy is not so demanding; it can be performed before or after the surgery.
• 24X7 care coordinator.
• Reduces the risk of breast cancer.
• Eliminates the risk of mammograms or radiotherapy after the surgery.
• It highly decreases the rates of cancer recurrence.
• Offers higher cosmetic outcomes.
• Provide options for breast reconstruction.

Make an Informed Decision About Cancer Surgery Costs

A breast cancer surgery cost may vary depending on several factors, including the hospital, type of surgery performed, patient’s medical condition, and surgeon involved. For the most accurate and up-to-date cost information, it’s advisable to consult hospitals in your vicinity.

At Yashoda Hospitals, our expert oncologists and interventional radiologists are here to discuss your options in detail, helping you make informed decisions. Additionally, healthcare insurance may partly cover the breast cancer treatment cost, so it’s essential to check with your insurance provider. You can also explore a government subsidy or policy that may assist in managing breast cancer surgery costs at Yashoda hospitals.