Surgery
Surgery is usually undertaken as the first treatment in managing breast cancer, although often chemotherapy with or without some targeted therapies can be given first.
The goal of surgery is to physically remove the cancer from you breast – either by removing just the lump (‘Lumpectomy’ or ‘Wide Local Excision’ or ‘Breast Conserving Surgery’) or removing the whole breast (Mastectomy).
Mastectomy can usually be combined with immediate breast reconstruction, and Chelmsford houses one of the UK’s largest breast reconstruction services, and trains people from around the world in breast reconstruction.
Surgery is also usually undertaken to the lymph nodes in the armpit. Breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes, and assessing whether it has can help guide further treatment.
Oncoplastic Techniques can be undertaken to minimise the aesthetic impact of breast conserving surgery and leave the breast looking as normal as possible after the cancer has been removed.
Oncoplastic Surgery and Aesthetic Outcomes of Breast Cancer Surgery
The majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will achieve a cure. Disfiguring surgical outcomes can act as a lasting memory of their breast cancer experience, and oncoplastic breast surgery has developed to address this.
Oncoplastic breast surgery aims to optimise the aesthetic outcomes of breast surgery, whilst not compromising on the oncological safety of surgery.
Oncoplastic surgery involves placing scars beautifully, so that they become as invisible as possible. It also involves moving breast tissue (volume-displacement) to fill the defect where the cancer came from (using, for example, a breast-lift technique) or volume replacement techniques (where tissue from the body wall or abdomen is moved to fill the defect – like LICP and TDAP flaps).
The overriding priority is to ensure that the cancer is adequately removed, but excellent cosmetic outcomes can go hand in hand with good oncology for most people.
Our oncologists can be central to optimising aesthetic outcomes. Modern chemotherapy and targeted therapies can be used prior to surgery to shrink tumours to make them more amenable to breast conserving surgery. We are often able to shrink lumps to such an extent that we can avoid mastectomy; preserving the majority of the natural breast leave a more natural breast than performing a mastectomy with full breast reconstruction.
Speak to our team
Get in touch and speak with our expert team about your treatment options today.