What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is among the most common cancers in women, although it can also develop in men. Cancer causes tumors to grow when cells mutate and start to multiply rapidly. Most people who have breast cancer can recover and lead a normal life, with the right oncology team behind them.

Dr. Ellenhorn works with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Together, they aim to ensure the optimal balance between the eradication of cancer and preservation of the appearance of a woman’s breast, and if possible, her ability to breastfeed in the future.

How is breast cancer treated?

Your breast cancer treatment may consist of a combination of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. You might need to undergo chemotherapy before having surgery, if you have a large tumor, to shrink the mass enough to preserve your breast.

There are new methods of delivering radiation therapy that helps avoid some of the distressing side effects of traditional treatment. These techniques are known as accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI).

What is APBI?

APBI uses a less invasive and more focused dose of radiation that targets the tumor and surrounding tissues rather than the whole breast. Dr. Ellenhorn uses advanced technologies, including:

• Mobetron® Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy (IORT)
• Axxent® electronic X-ray treatment
• Intrabeam® IORT
• Intracavitary brachytherapy (MammoSite®)
• SAVI® brachytherapy
• Contura® multi-lumen balloon catheter

Dr. Ellenhorn is one of the few breast surgeons in California to use a specialized form of IORT known as skin and breast-sparing radiation (SBSR). SBSR involves having a single radiation treatment that lasts around 12 minutes. Dr. Ellenhorm uses a localized dose of radiation and administers it during the lumpectomy procedure.

What’s involved in breast cancer surgery?

Dr. Ellenhorn is committed to breast preservation wherever possible and is a founding member of the Breast Preservation Foundation’s Medical Board of Advisors. In his experience, most patients are suitable for surgical removal of the tumor (lumpectomy) rather than needing to have the whole breast removed (mastectomy).

Researchers and surgical oncologists like Dr. Ellenhorn are continually developing new techniques to improve the patient experience and outcomes after breast cancer surgery.

If you do need to have a mastectomy, effective and aesthetic breast reconstruction procedures are available. Dr. Ellenhorn specializes in performing skin preserving or skin-sparing mastectomy, where he retains the skin covering the breast.

Dr. Ellenhorn preserves the nipple and areola as well as the breast skin, making a single incision underneath the breast or in the margin between the areola and the breast skin, where the scar is hidden from view. This enables a reconstructive plastic surgeon to create a far more natural-looking cosmetic breast for you. 

To find out more about the innovative treatments and advanced forms of surgery available for breast cancer, call Joshua Ellenhorn, MD, today or book an appointment online.