Breast Surgery

In order to determine if a breast abnormality is non-cancerous or cancerous, a breast biopsy will be necessary. Typically, this procedure is performed under local anesthesia and patients can leave immediately after the procedure. Our surgeons will use a needle to remove a small sample of tissue, then a pathologist will determine the diagnosis. Typically, this procedure is done by the surgeon, in-office, while others require special techniques that are performed by intervention radiology. 

Speak to your surgeon at NGPG about this procedure to see if it would be a good fit for you.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your care team may also recommend a biopsy of the sentinel lymph node. This lymph node, located near your breast, is the first place the cancer is likely to spread. Testing a tissue sample from the sentinel lymph node can help inform what kind of treatment plan you need. 

During this procedure, the sentinel lymph node will be surgically removed and then examined under a microscope by a pathologist.  Usually, this procedure is performed under general anesthesia, and most patients go home the same day unless there is a need for an extended stay.

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, complete removal of the breast or both breasts and potentially the surrounding tissue may be recommended depending on the size of the tumor and whether your cancer has spread.

Depending on your treatment plan and the size of your tumor, you may be a candidate for breast-conserving surgery. Sometimes called a lumpectomy, quadrantectomy or segmental/partial mastectomy, the goal of this surgical technique is to remove the cancerous cells completely, while leaving as much normal breast tissue as possible. For some people, this option may require radiation or chemotherapy treatment in addition to surgery to ensure that the cancer cells are eradicated.

After a mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, some patients choose to undergo surgery to reconstruct the breast. Your cancer treatment plan may impact the reconstruction options and timeline. We can coordinate this surgery with a plastic surgeon to create a more seamless experience for our patients undergoing these procedures.

Please discuss reconstructive surgery with your NGPG surgeon before scheduling your breast surgery.

While male breast cancer is rare, it does occur in men. According to the CDC, about 1 in every 100 breast cancer diagnoses are men. Our surgeons have expertise in recognizing, diagnosing and treating male breast cancer.

Sometimes surgery is necessary to treat other conditions of the breast. We offer comprehensive surgical options, including the following common surgical procedures:

• Removal of noncancerous tumors
• Duct excision or microdochectomy – A surgery sometimes recommended for patients with chronic duct infections, discharge from ducts or inverted nipples
• Breast abscess surgery – Characterized by redness and swelling that results in a collection of pus in the breast, surgery may be recommended to treat this condition.