Breast Surgery

Surgery of the breast involves a wide variety of breast diseases, which can be divided into two groups: benign and malignant breast disease.

Benign breast disease includes evaluation of a variety of breast maladies such as breast pain, breast lumps, nipple discharge, breast infections and abscess, fibrocystic disease, and inflammatory lesions. Though a majority of breast lumps may be benign, the surgeon’s role is to evaluate and rule out the possibility of breast cancer or a pre malignant disease.

Breast cancer is a leading cause for death in women of all ages. The surgeon’s role in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has become more prominent. Breast cancer screening tools, including mammography, ultrasound, MRI, and breast examination and biopsy, are all mastered by the adept breast surgeon. Specific surgical skills utilized by the surgeon include excisional biopsies, lumpectomies, mastectomies, lymph node dissections, and sentinel lymph node biopsies.

In early diagnosis of breast cancer the surgeon’s role is central in a multidisciplinary approach including primary care physicians, oncologists, and radiologists.