Breast surgeons Dr. Dennis Holmes and Dr. Annabel Barber on “dispelling fears with facts” and the emerging technology, such as MarginProbe, that is helping make that the case.
“The impulse to opt for a mastectomy or even double mastectomy after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is understandable: You’ve just been told you have cancer, and you want it out. You might also think that by removing as much breast tissue as possible, you’re improving your chances of beating the disease. That isn’t necessarily true.”
In a recent article published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, journalist Sarah Corsa dives into data and patient testimonies showing that lumpectomy offers equally promising survival rates for breast cancer treatment as mastectomy. She also speaks to breast surgeons Dr. Dennis Holmes and Dr. Annabel Barber about emerging technology, such as MarginProbe, that is helping make that the case.
From the article: ““There’s a belief that removal of the entire breast or removal of the opposite breast will improve the woman’s chances of survival, and it’s been shown repeatedly that that does not happen,” says Southern California-based breast cancer surgeon Dennis Holmes.
“‘The decision between a mastectomy and lumpectomy ‘is certainly a partner decision,’ says Las Vegas-based surgeon Annabel Barber, though patients have the final say. ‘My job is to dispel their fears with facts,’ Barber says. ‘And then if that’s what they still want to do that’s fine, I’m happy — I mean, it’s these people’s bodies that they’ve got to live with the rest of their lives.’
“Technology is solving the challenges that lumpectomies initially presented. Medical devices such as MarginProbe, which has been available in the U.S. since 2015, can help surgeons identify and remove any cancerous tissue while the patient is still asleep, reducing the chance that they would need to re-operate later.”
Both Holmes and Barber have adopted MarginProbe in their operating rooms.
You can read the full story here.
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