Breast Surgery
What are Breast Lumps?
A breast lump is a growth of tissue that presents as a palpable mass in the breast. Breast lumps can be benign or malignant. Most breast lumps are benign, which means they are not cancerous and do not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant breast lumps are cancerous and can invade other structures of the breast and spread to other parts of the body.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in females in Australia. Breast cancer occurs when normal cells in the breast are altered to cause abnormal growth. The cells then grow uncontrollably replacing normal breast tissue. These cancer cells can also enter the lymphatic system from where they can then spread to other parts of the body.
What is Breast Surgery?
Dr Ruwan Perera is highly skilled in three forms of breast cancer surgery:
Lumpectomy/Wide Local Excision involves surgery to remove only the part of the breast that contains the cancer and a margin of healthy tissue. It is also called breast-conserving surgery.
Partial Mastectomy is similar to lumpectomy; however, it involves the removal of a larger portion of the breast.
Mastectomy involves surgery to remove the whole breast, including the skin and nipple.
The section of cancer tissue that is removed during surgery will be then sent to a pathologist for inspection. This will help your doctor to determine whether further treatment is needed for the breast cancer.
All these procedures are performed under general anaesthesia.
How do I prepare for the surgery?
Prior to the clinic visit, the clinic will request you to undertake a mammogram or ultrasound of the breast, as well as a biopsy of the breast lump to determine if cancer cells are detected.
Please bring the results of these investigations to your consultation with Dr Perera as it will help determine the management plan and reduce the number of clinic visits you need to attend before booking the procedure.