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“It’s the next frontier in breast cancer surgery,” says Dr. David Byrd of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.Whoa! That’s quite a statement. Back in the day, a woman’s only choice to remove her tumor was a brutal radical mastectomy, surgery that not only removed the tumor ...
I had a lumpectomy using this type of surgery, and was very pleased with the results. It is hard for others to tell that any surgery was done at all, as there is also no scarring. While it may be a new development for breast cancer surgery, it should be adopted as a new standard, as I know a woman who underwent a similar lumpectomy, in the same location as mine, who was left with a lop sided breast that required reconstructive surgery to correct.
Thanks so much for sharing your good results with oncoplasty. I'm glad to hear that this new procedure is being put into use and that you were able to take advantage of it! PJH
I had my surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, which is a teaching hospital, and my impression is that oncoplasty is still so new, only hospitals that are connected to state of the art teaching techniques offer it as an option. My surgeon was on a grant to learn the proceedure from a head surgeon, and he, in turn, left Columbia Presbyterian to teach it at a hospital in London. While it took time for the scars to heal, it really is amazing how natural the breast now looks. so when I go for follow-up exams, the staff doing them usually can't tell where the surgery was performed. - KR
Wow, excellent! I hope this procedure makes its way from the teaching and urban hospitals into cancer centers and hopsitals all over the country soon. Looking normal, looking good, isn't vain; it's a major part of emotional healing. I'm hopeful more and more of us having lumpectomies will be able to access oncoplasty in the next few years. PJH