OHC’s breast surgical oncologists combine their knowledge of breast care with expertise in detecting and treating cancers of the breast. Before any surgery is considered, your OHC doctor will discuss options for you that will offer the best outcomes for your individual condition.

OHC’s breast surgeons have received extensive specialized training and are highly skilled in advanced techniques and minimally invasive procedures. Surgical procedures offered by OHC’s breast surgeons include:

  • Breast-conserving surgery (partial mastectomy)– A partial mastectomy is commonly known as a lumpectomy. This is a breast-conserving surgery that removes the area of cancer while preserving most of the patient’s breast. It is a common surgical option for women with smaller cancers. Many women who have breast-conserving surgery will also need radiation.
  • Oncoplastic breast surgery (or oncoplastic lumpectomy)– Plastic surgery techniques are combined with a lumpectomy to allow for the removal of larger cancers with improved cosmetic outcomes. Your breast surgeon will work simultaneously with the plastic surgeon for these procedures.
  • Mastectomy– A mastectomy is the surgical removal of the breast. Different types of mastectomy include:
    • Simple or total mastectomy– Removes the breast tissue along with the overlying skin, nipple, and areola. The chest wall is flat following this procedure.
    • Skin-sparing mastectomy– This technique removes the breast tissue, nipple, and areola while preserving as much of the breast skin as possible for reconstruction purposes. A plastic surgeon then uses this skin to perform breast reconstruction.
    • Nipple-sparing mastectomy– This is a variation of a skin-sparing mastectomy that preserves the nipple and areola. Reconstruction by a plastic surgeon would also be performed in this setting.
    • Prophylactic/risk-reducing mastectomy- This is any type of mastectomy being done for a woman who does not have breast cancer but is at a high risk of developing cancer in the future (such as women with a breast cancer gene mutation), or for a woman who does have breast cancer and wishes to have her opposite breast removed to decrease the risk of breast cancer in that breast.
  • Lymph node surgery– To determine if breast cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes in the armpit (axila), OHC breast surgeons may recommend a lymph node surgery. There are two types of lymph node surgeries:
    • Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB)– This procedure uses a dye(s) injected into the breast to identify sentinel nodes, which are the first lymph node(s) that breast cancer will travel to. A small incision is made under the armpit, and then these lymph nodes are removed and sent to the pathologist. Most commonly, one-to-three lymph nodes are removed.
    • Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND)-This procedure may be recommended in certain situations, such as if a woman has multiple lymph nodes that contain cancer. In this procedure, about 10-20 lymph nodes from under the armpit (axilla) are removed.
  • Collaboration with plastic surgery for breast reconstruction– If you are going to have a mastectomy, breast reconstruction is an option. Breast reconstruction may improve your body image and restore your body posture and balance. The procedure can be done either at the same time as the mastectomy (immediate) or following the surgery (delayed or staged). It often requires multiple surgeries to complete reconstruction. There are two main types of breast reconstruction: using the patient’s own tissue (autologous reconstruction) or using an implant.
  • Hidden scar surgery (https://breastcancersurgery.com/) – Using this advanced surgical approach, the breast surgeon will place the patient’s incision in a location where the scar is difficult to detect once it heals. OHC breast surgeons can proceed with the technique after evaluating the size and location of a tumor and the shape and size of the breast(s). Candidates for hidden scar surgery typically have:
    • A small tumor compared to the size of the breast.
    • A tumor confined to a specific area of the breast.
    • A small enough tumor allowing for the surgeon to remove the tumor and some margin of normal tissue surrounding it.
    • Cancerous cells that have not spread to the nipple.
  • Excisional breast biopsy– A surgery used to remove a suspicious area of breast tissue for further examination. This is a type of lumpectomy.
  • Mediport placement– A port is a small medical device surgically placed beneath the skin in the chest area that is able to deliver medicine (like chemotherapy) into the bloodstream.
  • Mediport removal
  • Nipple duct excision (central or directed)– Surgical removal of an affected milk duct. This may be a duct that is causing a symptom (such as nipple discharge) or it may be a duct affected by a mass or tumor.