Risks of surgery

An operation under general anesthesia always has general risks, which are not discussed here. In the following, only the specific risks of BET (breast-conserving therapy) and the removal of the entire breast are explained. A significant risk in both surgical procedures is the incomplete removal of the tumor.

In this case, a second operation or further treatment with radiation or chemotherapy must follow. A further risk is the injury of neighboring structures, such as vessels or nerves. If a blood vessel is injured, bruising may occur during the operation or in the course of the operation, which may need to be treated.

Pain after the operation can also be caused by this or by the injury to nerves. However, these can improve in the course of the operation or can be treated specifically. As with other operations, there is a risk of thrombosis, as you lie down for a long time during the operation and are not mobile during your stay in hospital as you would normally be.

Finally, there is the risk of infection of the surgical wound. This can have a very mild course, but can also lead to another operation in which the wound is cleaned and closed again. In general, it can be said that these risks occur less frequently with BET. An exception to this is the removal of the lymph nodes, which is the same in both variants. Here the most important risk is the development of lymphedema due to the removed lymph nodes.

Pain after surgery

After the surgery, you do not always have to have pain in the surgical area. If pain is indicated, it is usually a so-called wound pain, which is caused by irritation of the tissue and usually subsides after a few days with healing.However, about 30% of patients still suffer from chest pain three years after the diagnosis, which can be explained by the development of chronic pain due to nerve injuries. This chronic pain is perceived as severe by few patients.