Breast cancer surgery

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Departments and specialties

Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Staff skilled in dozens of specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.

Departments with related expertise

Research

Surgeons in an operating room

Mayo Clinic surgeons are actively involved in breast cancer research

Mayo Clinic breast cancer surgeons regularly participate in research activities designed to improve patient care.

Areas of research include:

  • Improving care for people with a high risk of breast cancer. Mayo Clinic researchers found nipple-sparing mastectomy to be safe for women with BRCA gene variations undergoing prophylactic mastectomy.
  • Personalizing breast cancer treatments. Researchers are working on the latest treatments that take into account your genes and the particular genes of your cancer cells to offer precision medicine for breast cancer. Examples include discovering new biomarkers for targeted therapy and engineering vaccines to prevent breast cancer recurrence.
  • Reducing the risk of surgery complications. Researchers are working to understand who faces a risk of lymphedema after surgery to remove the lymph nodes. They're working to find ways to reduce this risk through innovative surgical techniques and neoadjuvant therapies.
  • Relieving pain after mastectomy. Pain control techniques before, during and after mastectomy are reducing the need for strong pain medications during recovery. These innovations make procedures that are more likely to cause postoperative pain, such as bilateral mastectomy and mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, more comfortable.
  • Understanding how breast cancer develops. Researchers are working to understand the conditions under which breast cancer begins to develop. Research has focused on the unique microorganisms present within the breast. This is sometimes called the breast microbiome. These investigations may yield data that can help prevent breast cancer or devise the most effective treatments.

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of a handful of facilities that received a U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for breast cancer research. Learn more about the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer SPORE.

Publications

See a list of publications on breast cancer surgery by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Research Profiles

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Breast cancer surgery care at Mayo Clinic

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AboutCare at Mayo Clinic
Oct. 23, 2024
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  1. Townsend CM Jr, et al. Diseases of the breast. In: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2022. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 10, 2023.
  2. Breast cancer. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=1&id=1419. Accessed Oct. 10, 2023.
  3. Breast cancer. Cancer.Net. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/view-all. Accessed Oct. 20, 2023.
  4. Klimberg VS, et al., eds. Bland and Copeland's The Breast: Comprehensive Management of Benign and Malignant Diseases. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2024. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 10, 2023.
  5. Health Education & Content Services. Breast cancer guide. Mayo Clinic; 2017.
  6. After your operation. American College of Surgeons. https://www.facs.org/for-patients/home-skills-for-patients/breast-cancer-surgery/after-your-operation. Accessed Oct. 20, 2023.
  7. Jakub JW, et al. Oncological safety of prophylactic nipple-sparing mastectomy in a population with BRCA mutations. JAMA Surgery. 2018; doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.3422.
  8. Koelmeyer LA, et al. Risk factors for breast cancer-related lymphedema in patients undergoing 3 years of prospective surveillance with intervention. Cancer. 2022; doi:10.1002/cncr.34377.
  9. Fahy AS, et al. Paravertebral blocks in patients undergoing mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction provides improved pain control and decreased postoperative nausea and vomiting. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2014; doi:10.1245/s10434-014-3923-z.
  10. Armstrong VL, et al. The impact of same-day discharge and enhanced recovery on patient quality of life after mastectomy with implant reconstruction. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2023; doi:10.1245/s10434-022-13019-5.
  11. Hieken TJ, et al. The breast tissue microbiome, stroma, immune cells and breast cancer. Neoplasia. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.neo.2022.100786.
  12. Breast SPOREs. National Cancer Institute. https://trp.cancer.gov/spores/breast.htm. Accessed Oct. 23, 2023.
  13. Ami TR. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. Jan. 31, 2023.
  14. Ami TR. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. April 5, 2023.
  15. McDermott AM, et al. Surgeon and breast unit volume-outcome relationships in breast cancer surgery and treatment. Annals of Surgery. 2013; doi:10.1097/SLA.0b013e3182a66eb0.
  16. Gray RJ, et al. Intraoperative margin management in breast-conserving surgery: A systematic review of the literature. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2018; doi:10.1245/s10434-016-5756-4.
  17. Young WA, et al. Outcomes of >1300 nipple-sparing mastectomies with immediate reconstruction: The impact of expanding indications on complications. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2019; doi:10.1245/s10434-019-07560-z.
  18. Manrique OJ, et al. Immediate breast reconstruction using the Goldilocks procedure: A balance between more surgery and patient satisfaction. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2022; doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000008895.
  19. Hieken TJ, et al. A novel treatment schedule for rapid completion of surgery and radiation in early-stage breast cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2016; doi:10.1245/s10434-016-5321-1.
  20. Kim H, et al. Long-term outcomes of intraoperatively-placed applicator brachytherapy for rapid completion of breast conserving treatment: An analysis of prospective registry data. Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology. 2023; doi:10.1016/j.ctro.2023.100639.
  21. Kaufman CS, et al. Oncoplastic breast surgery. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 26, 2023.
  22. Abdelsattar JM, et al. Comparative study of liposomal bupivacaine versus paravertebral block for pain control following mastectomy with immediate tissue expander reconstruction. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2016; doi:10.1245/s10434-015-4833-4.
  23. Drackley NL, et al. Effect of massage therapy for postsurgical mastectomy recipients. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2012; doi:10.1188/12.CJON.121-124.
  24. Manrique OJ, et al. Overview of lymphedema for physicians and other clinicians: A review of fundamental concepts. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.01.006.
  25. Hospitals and facilities. American College of Surgeons. https://www.facs.org/hospital-and-facilities. Accessed Oct. 26, 2023.

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Breast cancer surgery