Finding a lump or receiving an abnormal mammogram can be frightening. In the fight against breast cancer, early detection is equally as important as specialized care. That is why MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando has a multidisciplinary team dedicated to patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Home to groundbreaking treatments and state-of-the-art technology, our highly trained and specialized physicians offer several different treatment options for breast cancer patients.
Dr. Nikita Shah discusses Breast Cancer
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment method used for breast cancer. During the surgical procedure, the cancerous tissue is removed, often with some lymph nodes, to determine whether the disease has spread beyond the breast tissue. Radiation, hormone therapy or chemotherapy, depending upon the stage and characteristics of the tumor, may follow surgery. Typical surgical procedures include:
- Lumpectomy - Involves removal of the cancerous tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue.
- Modified Radical Mastectomy - Involves removal of the breast tissue and some regional lymph nodes.
- Radical Mastectomy - Involves the removal of the breast tissue and the underlying muscle, as well as some lymph nodes. This procedure is not used as frequently as it was in the past.
- Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping - A minimal surgical procedure that identifies patients who will benefit from the more extensive removal of lymph nodes.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is used to shrink tumors, kill residual cancer cells after surgery, or to palliate from symptoms that may result from advanced disease.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of medication to kill cancer cells. It is commonly administered to the patient intravenously (by inserting a needle into a vein) or by mouth. Chemotherapy is traditionally given once every three to four weeks for a specified number of doses after surgery. When it is used before surgery to shrink the tumor, it is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is used to inhibit hormones that may be helping cancer cells multiply. The majority of breast cancers require hormonal stimulation to grow. Blocking this stimulus will cause the cancer cells to stop growing. This can be achieved through oral medications like Tamoxifen and Aromatase inhibitors or by surgically removing the ovaries.
Dr. Kenneth Lee discusses Breast Reconstruction & Plastic Surgery
Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP)
We are also proud to be the only facility in Central Florida to offer the most advanced surgical technique for breast reconstruction—Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap surgery.
DIEP is a state-of-the-art procedure that uses excess tissue from a patient’s abdomen to sculpt a new, natural breast. This complex, yet superior procedure is made possible through microsurgery and is routinely performed by only about 40 plastic surgeons in the nation. MD Anderson – Orlando’s plastic surgeons are among that elite group.
Our Team of Experts
- Medical Oncology
Nikita C. Shah, MD*
Said Baidas, MD
Omar R. Kayaleh, MD
Josè E. Sarriera, MD
- Radiation Oncology
Daniel J. Buchholz, MD*
Tomas Dvorak, MD
Donald Wayne Jenkins, MD, MPH
- Surgical Oncology
Michael P. Kahky, MD*
Danelle K. Chambers, MD, FACS
Marc L. Demers, MD, FACS
Alberto F. Padron, MD
Jeffrey R. Smith, MD, FACS
- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Richard Klein, MD, MPH*
Kenneth R. Lee, MD *Indicates team leader
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 321.841.1869. To request an appointment online, please click here.