The fight against breast cancer is being bolstered by an array of new technology and techniques that are not only saving lives but are improving the quality of life for patients.
“We’ve made a miraculous shift from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to treatment, to more individualized, multidisciplinary care, resulting in less radical surgeries,” says Tihesha Wilson, M.D., a dedicated breast surgical oncologist with Mercy Hospital in Miami, Florida. “I believe care and treatment of this magnitude needs to be comprehensive and carefully tailored to specific needs.”Dr. Wilson, whose patients range in age from 27 to 94, is spearheading several cutting-edge surgical techniques that are making a difference among those being treated. Oncoplastic surgery, for example – one of the latest plastic surgery techniques with breast surgical oncology – is cosmetically-oriented and involves removal of the tumor and immediate reconstruction of the area, helping to restore the breast to its natural appearance.
Nipple-sparing mastectomies are also being introduced into operating rooms as successful forms of tumor eradication – techniques that preserve both the nipple and areola. While not all patients are candidates for these surgeries, the goal is to improve aesthetic results immediately, without compromising treatment.
Dr. Wilson, who has traveled to India, China and Japan to study complementary medicine and endoscopic breast surgery techniques, has completed advanced Surgery Fellowship training in Breast Surgical Oncology at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland, an accredited and nationally-recognized comprehensive breast center.
“We are becoming more and more knowledgeable about individual characteristics of tumors and how to treat them more effectively and efficiently while maximizing the well-being of patients,” she says. “The future is very bright.”
As advancements in the medical community continue to be made, the sense of community among patients continues to grow. In Dr. Wilson’s office sits a white plush chair, wrapped in a large pink bow and scribbled with signatures and handwritten notes. Messages such as, “To survive is necessary, to thrive is elegant,” have been left on this appropriately-titled Survivor Chair by breast cancer survivors who are celebrating one-year anniversaries of having beaten the disease. The notes serve as encouragement to those newly-diagnosed patients or ones who are undergoing treatment.“I tell my patients before they sign the Survivor Chair, ‘Think about the next woman who walks in the door,’” says Dr. Wilson. “What would you say to her … How would you lift her up?”
Under Dr. Wilson’s direction, patients meet and see each other to offer support. Toward the end of October, for example, they will gather for the second annual Breast Cancer Survivor event. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Paint the Town Pink.” Says Dr. Wilson:
“Not only do we want to be at the forefront of life-changing medical care, we want to be a central point for patients and survivors … a community of caregivers and encouragers to help answer questions, address concerns and instill hope.”
