Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation as a preventive measure. Alternatively, some women can choose to have a wide local excision, also known as a lumpectomy, an operation in which a small volume of breast tissue containing the tumor and a surrounding margin of healthy tissue is removed to conserve the breast. Both mastectomy and lumpectomy are referred to as "local therapies" for breast cancer, targeting the area of the tumor, as opposed to systemic therapies, such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or immunotherapy.
Mammaplasty refers to a group of surgical procedures, the goal of which is to reshape or otherwise modify the appearance of the breast. There are two main types of mammoplasty:
- Augmentation mammaplasty is commonly performed to increase the size, change the shape, and/or alter the texture of the breasts. This usually involves the surgical implantation of breast implant devices.
- Reduction mammaplasty is commonly performed to reduce the size, change the shape, and/or alter the texture of the breasts. This involves the removal of breast tissue.
Sir Geoffrey Langdon Keynes was a British surgeon and author. He began his career as a physician in World War I, before becoming a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, where he made notable innovations in the fields of blood transfusion and breast cancer surgery. Keynes was also a publishing scholar and bibliographer of English literature and English medical history, focusing primarily on William Blake and William Harvey.
Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors.
A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenital defects and deformities of the chest wall or, cosmetically, to enlarge the appearance of the breast through breast augmentation surgery.
Umberto Veronesi was an Italian oncologist, physician, scientist and politician, internationally known for his contributions on prevention and treatment of breast cancer throughout a career spanning over fifty years.
Bernard Fisher was an American surgeon and a pioneer in the biology and treatment of breast cancer. He was a native of Pittsburgh. He was Chairman of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His work established definitively that early-stage breast cancer could be more effectively treated by lumpectomy, in combination with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or hormonal therapy, than by radical mastectomy.
Colonel Sir George Thomas Beatson was a British physician. He was a pioneer in the field of oncology, developing a new treatment for breast cancer, and has been called "the father of endocrine ablation in cancer management." The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute are named for him.
Sir Bruce Anthony John Ponder FMedSci FAACR FRS FRCP is an English geneticist and cancer researcher. He is Emeritus Professor of Oncology at the University of Cambridge and former director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Cancer Centre.
Jan Měšťák(born August 26, 1944) is a Czech physician specializing in plastic surgery, university lecturer, head of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the First Faculty of Medicine of Charles University and University Hospital Bulovka in Prague and its founder.
Gregory Bruce Mann is an Australian surgical oncologist.
A preventive mastectomy or prophylactic mastectomy or risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) is an elective operation to remove the breasts so that the risk of breast cancer is reduced.
Krystal Barter is a health activist, author and founder of Humanise Health, A patient-led & advocacy agency working with leading businesses in the health sector who make it their purpose to positively impact lives.
Kristi Funk is an American breast cancer surgeon known for her surgical treatment of celebrities Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow and her advocacy of whole-food plant-based nutrition.
Lisa Lynch was a British journalist, known for writing about her experience of having cancer on her blog, Alright Tit, and in a book, The C-Word. She was portrayed by Sheridan Smith in the 90-minute BBC television drama, The C-Word, written by Nicole Taylor and directed by Tim Kirkby.
Christobel Mary Saunders is a British-Australian oncologist and breast cancer specialist, who holds the position of Winthrop Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Western Australia.
Nancy Baxter is a Canadian surgeon who is a professor and the Head of Melbourne University's School of Population and Global Health, while continuing to maintain her appointment as Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. She is a scientist with the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute and is a senior scientist in the Cancer Theme Group with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). Baxter has board certifications through the American Board of Surgery (2000) and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (2002). She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Prevent Breast Cancer is a UK charity funding research solely aimed at preventing breast cancer. The Manchester-based charity aims to promote early diagnosis of breast cancer, improve cancer screenings, and change the habits and lifestyles of high-risk patients. Based at The Nightingale Centre & Prevent Breast Cancer Research Centre in Wythenshawe, Manchester, where the NHS co-ordinates the breast-screening programme for the Greater Manchester area.
Jayant S. Vaidya is a British-Indian surgeon-oncologist and clinical academic who, together with Michael Baum and Jeffrey Tobias, developed the technique called targeted intra-operative radiotherapy (TARGIT). He is a professor of surgery and oncology at the University College London, London and the author of two books on breast cancer, one on tobacco eradication, and over 200 academic articles.
Lisa J. M. Caldon is a British professor and clinical lecturer specialising in oncology. In her 20 year career, Caldon has published some 20 papers in the field of medicine. These have appeared in some of the top medical and peer-reviewed journals in Britain and abroad, including Medical Education, the European Journal of Cancer, the British Journal of Surgery, Patient Education and Counseling, Psycho-Oncology, Future Oncology, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, and The Lancet Oncology. Caldon has worked at The University of Sheffield and with Cancer Research UK.
