Surgery
If surgery is needed, the Breast Center offers state-of-the-art breast surgery by board-certified surgeons. Surgery options include breast conservation or lumpectomy, mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction and oncoplastic surgery techniques.
Breast Conservation
Breast conservation surgery, also known as a lumpectomy, removes only the tumor and part of the breast tissue during surgery, as opposed to the whole breast. The amount of tissue that is removed can vary greatly between patients. Lumpectomy is a treatment option for some women in the early stages of breast cancer. When cancer is found, a lumpectomy can be followed by radiation therapy to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast. There are several types of mastectomy, and which mastectomy is performed depends on how invasive the cancer is. In some cases, muscles or lymph nodes beneath the breast are also removed during the surgery.
Oncoplasty
Oncoplastic surgery combines plastic surgery techniques with breast surgical oncology. During this procedure, the cancer is removed and plastic surgery is performed for an enhanced
cosmetic result.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
In some cases, physicians perform a sentinel node biopsy, which can be done in combination with a lumpectomy, or a mastectomy. This test is considered highly accurate and is performed to determine if breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. The sentinel node(s) is removed and analyzed for cancerous cells. This procedure dramatically reduces the risk of lymphedema and other arm problems.
Axillary Node Dissection
An axillary node dissection removes lymph nodes in the underarm area. This procedure can be done with a mastectomy or lumpectomy for women with invasive breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes.
Lymphedema Therapy
Normal, healthy lymphatic systems carry waste and fluids from the skin to the lymph nodes where they are filtered and exit the body. Lymphedema is a condition that occurs due to a failure in the lymphatic system where lymph nodes or vessels are damaged, removed or absent. This failure causes protein-rich fluid to accumulate under the skin causing swelling in the arms or legs. Lymphedema can occur any time after surgery or radiation.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is used to treat both early-stage invasive breast cancer and advanced breast cancer. It uses medicine to weaken or destroy cancer cells in the body.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation is a targeted therapy with the purpose of killing cancer cells that may still exist after surgery. Radiation therapy can reduce the risk of cancer returning after surgery.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy works by lowering the amount of estrogen in the body and blocking the action of estrogen on breast cancer cells.
Your team will help plan the best treatment for you.