Breast Surgery

Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure that preserves your breast, but removes the cancerous lump and some normal tissue around it.  Axillary lymph nodes are often removed and examined for signs of cancer.  Also called “wide local excision”, lumpectomy is most often recommended for women with a small lump that hasn’t spread to the rest of the body.  Radiation therapy usually follows lumpectomy to eliminate any remaining cancer cells. 

Mastectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the entire breast.  There are several different types of mastectomy.  Because chest muscles are left intact, your chest wall contour and arm strength are not affected and the recovery is shorter.  Two variations of this procedure are simple mastectomy, which leaves axillary lymph nodes intact, and radical mastectomy, which removes deep chest muscles.  Based on the size of you cancer and how far it has spread, Dr. Ahmad will determine which procedure is right for you.  Most mastectomy patients can have breast reconstruction at the same time of surgery.

 A New Alternative to Long Term Radiation Therapy

MammoSite is a form of partial breast irradiation.  It works by delivering radiation from inside the lumpectomy cavity (the space that is left after the tumor is removed) directly to the tissue surrounding the cavity where the cancer is most likely to recur.  Radiation therapy with MammoSite can be completed in just 5 days, allowing you to get back to your life.

MammoSite Ballon Placement
After your surgeon removes your tumor, an uninflated MammoSite balloon is gently placed inside the lumpectomy cavity through a small incision in your breast.  A portion of the catheter will remain outside your breast.  The balloon can be placed during your lumpectomy surgery or up to 10 weeks after your surgery in a separate procedure.

Once in place, the balloon is inflated with saline solution to fit snugly into your lumpectomy cavity.  The balloon remains inflated for the entire time you are receiving your radiation therapy.

After the MammoSite balloon is placed, your breast is bandaged and you may go home. Afterwards you will begin your five day radiation treatment with a radiation oncologist.

For more info please visit http://www.mammosite.com.

For more info on breast surgery and cancer visit http://www.cancer.gov./cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/patient