What is oncoplastic breast surgery, and who is the ideal candidate?

Top Doctors recently quizzed highly experienced consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, Dr Tasha Gandamihardja, on all things oncoplastic breast surgery, including who the ideal candidate for oncoplastic breast surgery is. 

What is oncoplastic breast surgery?

Oncoplastic surgery is a type of surgery that uses plastic surgical techniques to give an acceptable breast appearance whilst not compromising the surgical removal of the cancer. It covers all aspects of breast cancer surgery, from breast conservation surgery to mastectomy and reconstruction.

Types of oncoplastic surgical techniques include:

• Wide local excisions or lumpectomies
• Removing cancers in a breast reduction type of surgery i.e. therapeutic mammaplasty
• Using local flaps to replace volume within the breast after the cancer has been removed
• Mastectomy with reconstruction

Who is an ideal candidate for oncoplastic breast surgery?

Patients with breast cancer are ideal candidates for oncoplastic breast surgery.

Can all breast cancers be treated by oncoplastic breast surgery?

Yes, all breast cancers can be treated by some type of oncoplastic breast operation.

What is breast reconstruction surgery?

Breast reconstruction surgery is when we make someone a new breast when they have been recommended to have a mastectomy and don’t want to go flat-chested. We can make a new breast either using an implant or using your own body tissue such as one of your back muscles, or your tummy fat. 

Is breast reconstruction a major surgery?

It depends on the type of breast reconstruction you have. If you are having implant-based reconstruction surgery for example, you can go home on the same day. This is not the case if you use your own body tissue such as a DIEP reconstruction, where you use the tissue from your tummy. This surgery is longer, more invasive, and requires a hospital stay of up to five days or so. So, it depends on the surgery.

To book a consultation with Dr Tasha Gandamihardja, simply head on over to her Top Doctors profile today.