Breast Disease

Capital Surgeons Group manages benign breast disease as well as breast cancer with the latest techniques and treatment options in this specialized area, including:

We evaluate breast lumps to determine the need for further treatment, including cyst aspirations or minimally invasive needle biopsies, thus avoiding a trip to the operating room. These core needle biopsies require an incision the size of a pencil eraser and patients can resume most normal activities. These provide results as accurate as an open biopsy in the operating room. Capital Surgeons Group may use either mammography or ultrasonography to identify and biopsy the abnormalities in the breast so small that they cannot be felt. The procedures are done under local anesthesia and pathology results are usually available in 24 hours.

Partial breast irradiation delivers radiation from inside the lumpectomy cavity, the space that is left after the tumor is removed. The radiation is delivered directly to the tissue surrounding the cavity where the cancer is most likely to recur. This therapy takes five days instead of the traditional four to six weeks and our surgeons coordinate this treatment with your radiation oncologist.

Capital Surgeons Group use either mammography or ultrasonography to identify and biopsy abnormalities that are so small that they cannot be felt. We perform both outpatient procedures under local anesthesia. Most women can return to normal activities and work by the next day, and pathology results are usually available in 24 hours.

The “sentinel node” is the first node to which a cancer would spread if it were going to spread beyond the breast. This node is mapped during surgery removing only a limited number of lymph nodes, thus being less invasive and significantly lowering the risk of subsequent lymphedema while still providing valuable information for staging and determining further treatment for our patients. Our surgeons have been trained in this technique, thus avoiding the standard axillary lymph node dissection.

Capital Surgeons Group physicians employ breast-conserving surgery whenever possible and stay on the forefront of breast cancer treatment and surgery and overall management and surveillance of breast cancer patients. They also work collaboratively with your local medical and radiation oncologists as part of your breast cancer team. As such, they can present you with the best options, personalizing your breast cancer treatment to minimize the physical and emotional toll of the disease.

When mastectomy is required, Capital Surgeons Group physicians work closely with local plastic surgeons to optimize the cosmetic outcomes of the surgery and coordinate immediate breast reconstruction when possible. In some cases, they may perform a mastectomy that spares all the skin of the breast, including the nipple, a technique employed by a limited number of surgeons in the area. This is ideal for many patients undergoing preventive mastectomies due to a high risk of breast cancer, such as those women carrying the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes.

Not all forms of biopsy, surgery and treatment are appropriate for all breast lumps or types of cancer. As with all medical cancer treatment, you should discuss options with your doctor and weigh the risks and benefits before making a decision. Capital Surgeons Group physicians want you to understand your options so that you can make an informed decision. They will also work closely with all the specialists involved in your care to personalize your breast cancer treatment and provide long-term follow-up care.