Breast Surgery

Departments
Surgery Division
Breast Surgery

About

The Breast Surgery Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center provides the highest standards of care for patients with breast cancer and other related diseases and is one of the leading units in the country.

More about breast surgery

Breast cancer surgical treatment

Surgical treatment for breast cancer has evolved over time to reduce the extent of surgery while minimizing physical and psychological damage. This is done without compromising the chances of recovery. The surgical treatment includes addressing the breast tumor while simultaneously examining and removing lymph nodes. Nowadays, "sentinel node surgery" is commonly performed without the need for complete removal. Also, the surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit can be minimized in most cases, reducing the risk of complications.

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Breast cancer risk factors

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, affecting approximately 11% of women during their lifetime. The chances of cure when detected in its early stages can reach 90% or higher. This emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis. It is crucial to note that most women do not have risk factors for breast cancer, so regular monitoring is essential for every woman. However, it is also important to be aware of various risk factors.

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Early detection of breast cancer

Three main tools are used for the early diagnosis of breast cancer: mammography, which is an X-ray of the breast, manual breast examination, and breast ultrasound.

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Methods of diagnosing breast cancer

Breast cancer can manifest and be detected in various ways. Even in developed countries, the most common form of manifestation is a palpable lump in the breast. More and more women are finding such lumps during self-examinations, leading them to seek clarification.

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Biopsy types

When a suspicious finding is detected either during a manual examination (self-examination or routine examination by a physician) or through imaging tests (mammography/ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging), cell or tissue sampling is necessary. The sampling is usually done percutaneously (through the skin) using special needles. Nowadays, it is uncommon for the first step to be surgical tissue sampling, which allows for optimal treatment planning and avoids unnecessary surgeries.

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Examinations and Treatments

Manual breast examination

Until a few years ago, doctors used to recommend all women to perform a thorough breast self-examination once a month. However, recent studies have shown that such meticulous examination doesn't provide any advantage, and the medical community abandoned the strong recommendation for monthly self-examination.

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Ultrasound breast examination

Until recently, breast ultrasound was considered only a "supplementary examination" to mammography or for diagnosing lumps found in manual examinations. However, in recent years, the perception has changed, and now breast ultrasound is often performed in addition to mammography. Nevertheless, in age groups where mammography is recommended, ultrasound does not serve as a substitute.

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MRI Breast examination

Breast imaging through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive examination for early detection of breast cancer, with detection rates reaching up to approximately 95%. Although the examination does not involve radiation, its cost is high, and the interpretation of the results may reveal a high rate of findings classified as suspicious even when they are not cancerous.

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Sentinel gland biopsy

To avoid loss of information about the tumor's condition and its implications, it is essential to perform a biopsy of the sentinel lymph node before the initiation of chemotherapy, even if it was already done before the breast surgery.

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Impotrant to know

Support

Being diagnosed with breast cancer forces you and your family to face an unfamiliar challenge with emotional, familial, social and economic ramifications.

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