Ask the Experts Blog

Breast cancer surgery and reconstruction

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and each of their stories are unique. At Spectrum Health Lakeland, our local team of specialists has grown. You can depend on them to detect, treat, and help you heal from breast cancer.

General surgeon, Maria Rapciak, DO, and plastic surgeon, Nicole Phillips, MD, discuss surgical options for treating breast cancer and how reconstruction following a mastectomy can help women feel confident in their body again.

Breast cancer statistics:

• Most common cancer among women in the U.S.
• Second leading cause of cancer related deaths
• One in eight women who live to be age 70 will develop breast cancer
• Leading cancer diagnosis in Berrien County - 167 new cases detected in 2020

When it comes to risk factors there are two types:

1. Risk factors that cannot be modified such as age, family history, etc.
2. Risk factors that can be modified such as healthy weight, alcohol consumption, etc.

Breast cancer surgery:

Surgery is a common treatment for breast cancer. The type of surgery you need depends on several factors and your care team can help you decide what’s best for your individual situation.

Types of breast cancer surgery include:

• Breast-conserving surgery or lumpectomy: Removes the cancerous cells and an edge (margin) of healthy tissue around it. Most of the breast remains intact. 
• Mastectomy: Removes the entire breast.
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy: The sentinel lymph node is the node the cancer reaches first. A special procedure can be done to find this node or nodes so they can be removed and checked for cancerous cells. This helps determine if the cancer has entered the lymphatic system and spread to other parts of the body. 
  
• Axillary lymph node dissection: Removes (dissects) all the lymph nodes under the arm after cancer cells are found during a sentinel lymph node biopsy.

“We are proud to be able to provide breast cancer care that’s comprehensive and close to home,” said Dr. Rapciak. “We work closely with a multidisciplinary team, including plastic surgery, to help women feel safe and comfortable and provide them with the most advance surgical treatment options.”

Breast reconstruction:

Breast reconstruction is often a series of procedures performed to restore the breasts after a mastectomy or lumpectomy treatment. It can be performed within the same surgical procedure or as its own treatment later using different techniques. Often, breast reconstruction restores the shape, appearance, and form of one or both breasts.

This is an extremely personal decision for each patient. The first step is treating your cancer but there are other aspects that go into the decision to undergo reconstruction such as:

• What is the impact of treatment on your social, personal, and sexual well-being?
• What are the impacts on your physical health and function? Your job?
• How are these factors affected—either positively or negatively—by breast reconstruction?
• What is the best choice for you and your family?

“It’s important for women to know is it’s never too late,” said Dr. Phillips. “You can make this choice to have reconstruction right away or wait until your cancer treatment is complete. There is no wrong decision—every choice is the right choice for the individual patient and our job is to help guide them through those options.” 

Types of breast reconstruction include:

• Implant-based reconstruction: This is often a two-staged procedure. A tissue expander is placed—either during a mastectomy or after cancer treatment—that is filled with saline solution to gently stretch the skin and muscle. Later, the expander is replaced with a permanent implant and a plastic surgeon can make any revisions needed.
• Tissue-based reconstruction (“flaps”): In this case, tissue is moved from one part of the body, like the abdomen, and moved to the chest wall. This can create a new breast mound all by itself, or provide tissue to support the placement of an implant during a later procedure. There are different ways that this surgery can be performed, and your reconstructive surgeon can help you to better understand these options.

“There are many considerations that go into performing the appropriate breast reconstruction procedure for each patient,” said Dr. Phillips. “At Stonegate Plastic Surgery, we can guide patients through their options to create the best treatment plan for their individual goals. We seek to educate and provide a compassionate environment to help women feel confident in their body again.”

Hear more about surgical options for treating breast cancer and reconstruction options in the video below: