Breast Reconstruction with Oncoplastic Surgery

New cosmetic option!

When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, her primary focus is to get rid of the cancer (tumor) and be free of the disease. As you review your treatment plan she will most likely want to know what type of reconstructive (cosmetic) surgery is available that will give her the most natural and best aesthetic results.

Dr. Curcio has studied and obtained advanced training in a new surgical procedure called, “oncoplastic surgery.” This surgical technique addresses both concerns of treating the cancer and plastic surgery (reconstruction of the breast). Dr. Curcio is among a select group of surgeons trained in this promising field of breast cancer reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Curcio explains the two traditional options for breast cancer patients are a mastectomy that removes the entire breast, and a lumpectomy that only removes the tumor, leaving the lymph nodes and surrounding breast tissue. The treatment option of a mastectomy or lumpectomy is dependent upon your specific breast cancer diagnosis and should be carefully discussed with your oncologist and breast cancer surgeon.

Traditionally, after surgery to excise the cancer, a mastectomy patient may receive a prosthetic breast implant. Or they may undergo a procedure that uses a portion of their own abdominal fat and muscle to fashion a replacement breast. Patients requiring extensive surgery to remove their cancer may have immediate reconstruction.

As a breast cancer surgeon and a woman who has undergone breast cancer reconstructive surgery, I understand my patients desire to have as much cancerous tissue removed as possible. But at the same time, I want to leave breast tissue to conserve the breast. Both aims can be achieved with oncoplastic surgery. In selected patients, this technique achieves a superior cosmetic result compared to a lumpectomy.
 

Is Oncoplastic Surgery Right for Me?

Dr. Curcio is able to offer women requiring moderate surgery immediate cosmetic repair. Patients with a non-invasive cancer called DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), in particular, can benefit from this innovative approach.

DCIS is typically distributed through the breast's ductal system and can be challenging to remove. Excision of DCIS may require removal of a substantial amount of breast tissue, and traditionally patients have traditionally had to undergo mastectomy. Now, the creative use of oncoplastic methods is allowing many women with DCIS to keep their breasts intact and with excellent results.

DCIS is the most rapidly growing breast cancer diagnosis affecting nearly 60,000 women each year. DCIS patients have a nearly 100 percent survival rate after their cancer is surgically removed.

With oncoplastic surgical technique, Dr. Curcio would remove the cancer, than she rotates the remaining tissue to reconstruct the breast. This gives the patient an enhanced appearance with no breast tissue/skin indentations or defects. Oncoplastic surgery can also give more women the choice of a lumpectomy with immediate reconstruction. For many women, and for the appropriate breast cancer patient, this is choice is preferable to a mastectomy.
 

For more information or a consultation on Oncoplastic surgery, call 949.770.0797

Contact Dr. Lisa Curcio to discuss your risk for breast cancer . Dr. Curcio is a breast cancer heredity risk specialist and she can advise you on your breast cancer risk.

Visit "Advanced Breast Care Specialists of Orange County"  in Mission Viejo, California.