Breast Cancer Treatments | Houston Breast Cancer Surgery | Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas (MIST)

Screening and Treatment for Breast Cancer

Screening for Breast Cancer

Responsible screening at regular intervals is the best and most proactive activity a woman can take to prevent or detect breast cancer in its earliest stages. The idea is to look for cancer before there are any symptoms or to find/detect any tissue abnormalities at the earliest possible stage. Normally there are screening tests and if anything looks suspicious, more diagnostic tests will follow.

Outside of self-examination, the primary screening method is a mammogram which is an x-ray of the breast. This is used as regular screening for women who have no obvious cancerous symptoms. Several randomized clinical trials have showed that mammograms can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women age 40-74.

Screening mammograms usually involve two x-ray pictures, or images, of each breast. The x-ray images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt. Screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer. Other detection screenings include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).

The National Cancer Institute recommends that women age 40 and older should have mammograms every 1-2 years but also women who are higher risk should consult their physician about more aggressive monitoring.

Treatment for Breast Cancer

Should a breast cancer diagnosis occur, our physicians will quickly put together a treatment plan specific to you and your pathology report. There are many different treatment options and we will carefully explain each of them to you. The most important thing to remember is that your treatment is customized around you – there is never a one size fits all. We will be your guide.

There are many different kinds of treatment available and their applicability depends on the type of cancer you have, the stage, its resistance, etc. Typically a person with breast cancer may consider surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or other targeted therapies (such as Herceptin, Tykerb or Avastin).

The ideal treatment plan removes or damages cancerous cells without affecting the healthy tissue around it. MIST surgeons are leading experts in the surgical treatment of breast cancer.
Depending on your unique condition, you may be considering a mastectomy (removing the entire breast), lumpectomy (removing only infected tissue), lymph node removal/sampling, breast reconstruction, prophylactic mastectomy or cryotherapy.

Our environment is friendly, comforting and our surgeons are world-class. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits of breast cancer surgery as a treatment option.

What our patients are saying:

I am so happy with my decision to go to the Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas at the UT Specialty Surgery Center. My surgeon and his team helped me to really understand everything that was happening each step of the way. As promised, my recovery was speedy and I was back to my regular self sooner than I expected. The front office staff and nurses are A+. My surgical result was excellent and the whole experience could not have been any better.
-Don M., patient

“ I use to wake up choking and gasping for air 2-3 times a week. Thanks to the Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas I can now say that I am not only medication free but I am sleeping peacefully. The whole staff was great and so caring. They answered all of my questions and helped explain everything before my procedure.”
-Linda A., patient

“The physicians and staff at UT MIST were all so caring and professional. They made me feel at ease about my surgery and have helped me thru each step of it.”
-D. Treibel, patient