Breast Cancer

When the diagnosis is breast cancer, the reaction often goes beyond having to understand and deal with cancer treatment options, which in itself is confusing and overwhelming. Breast cancer can also mean a physical change in your appearance, leaving you in need of an additional level of care and support. At the University of Michigan Breast Care Center, we treat the entire woman. It’s not just about attacking the cancer; it’s also about nurturing the emotions.

With our multidisciplinary approach – and a core of 25 breast disease experts – in one visit you can meet with surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, plastic surgeons, gynecologists, social worker and nurses, plus have your mammograms and pathology slides read.

As the second most common cancer in women, it’s important that we offer the most comprehensive, effective and least invasive treatment methods. Our philosophy is to preserve the breast, when possible, through lumpectomy and radiation therapy. If the breast cannot be preserved, we offer immediate reconstruction, using the patient’s own tissue. Cutting-edge clinical trials for breast cancer are also available.

At our state-of-the-art University of Michigan East Ann Arbor Ambulatory Surgery Center, some patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery can have tissue samples examined microscopically while still under anesthesia, which may result in the removal of additional tissue. This service can save you days of waiting for lab results, undergoing an additional surgery and reducing your overall cost of care.

You get counseling and emotional support along the way through a number of programs, including education and support groups, peer counseling, a reconstruction forum and self-examination instruction. And for breast-cancer survivors, you have access to the Breast Wellness Clinic for information, education and open discussion about any topics of concern to you.