Mastectomy Surgery in Dubai

Advanced Mastectomy Surgery in Dubai at CMC

At Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital Breast Unit, our Renowned Breast Oncoplastic surgeons are experts in the latest breast preservation surgical techniques.

A mastectomy is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of all breast tissue from a breast to treat or prevent breast cancer in both men and women. The procedure is recommended by doctors as a treatment option for patients with breast cancer that has spread throughout the entire breast.

A mastectomy can be recommended if:

• There is malignancy throughout the breast
• Cancer has spread throughout the entire breast
• There is a high quantity of pre-cancerous cells in the breast

Types of Mastectomy Procedures

Different types of mastectomies include:

• Skin-sparing mastectomy: Here most of the skin covering the breast is spared while all breast tissue including the nipple is removed.
• Nipple-sparing mastectomy: This is a skin-sparing mastectomy whereby the nipple is also not removed.
• Standard mastectomy: The entire breast tissue and most skin covering it are removed.
• Radical mastectomy: All the breast tissue is removed, including the skin covering it, the two muscles behind the breast and the lymph nodes in the armpit.
• Modified radical mastectomy: In this procedure, only the large muscle behind the breast is left.

Possible Risks of a Mastectomy

Some of the possible risks that may be involved in a mastectomy procedure include:

• Pain
• Infection
• Bleeding
• Stiff scar tissue developing during the surgery
• Numbness especially under the arm due to lymph node removal
• Blood clot accumulation in the surgical site (hematoma)

The procedure

During a mastectomy, which is done under general anesthesia, the surgeon will first make an elliptical incision around the breast. Then he/she will remove the breast tissue. Other breast tissue may also be removed but that depends on the type of procedure.

All the breast tissue and lymph nodes that are removed, regardless of the type of mastectomy performed on the patient, will be sent to the lab for evaluation.

If the patient is to have breast reconstruction at the same time as mastectomy, then it means the plastic surgeon will work together with the breast surgeon to be available at the time of surgery.

Placement of temporary tissue expanders in the chest to retain the breast skin in place could be necessary for women who will undergo radiation therapy following surgery. Therefore, the patient is able to put off the final breast reconstruction until after radiation treatment.

If the patient is planning to have radiation therapy after surgery, it’s advisable to meet a radiation oncologist before the surgery. This will provide room to discuss the benefits and risks as well as how radiation will affect the patient’s reconstruction options.

Upon completion of the surgical procedure, the surgeon will close the incision with stitches. The stitches will either dissolve or be removed later. One or two plastic tubes might be placed where the breast was removed so as to drain any fluids that accumulate after surgery.