Treatment Options
Cosmetically sensitive breast surgery
The breast surgeons at the Weill Cornell Medicine Meyer Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital offer evaluation and treatment for breast lumps, abnormal mammograms, nipple discharge, and breast cancer. They perform breast cancer surgery with your appearance in mind, operating with increased surgical precision and working to remove the tumor effectively while reducing scarring and incision size. This approach is called oncoplastic surgery. We are committed to achieving the best cosmetic results for our patients.
Offering all types of breast cancer surgery
Our surgeons perform breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), sentinel node biopsy (to remove the smallest number of lymph nodes required to assess cancer spread), and mastectomy (including skin-sparing mastectomy and nipple-sparing mastectomy, which preserve the breast skin and nipple when possible). Your surgeon will let you know which breast surgery options are best for you. In all cases, we use the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol, using techniques that limit the use of opioids to control pain after lumpectomy and mastectomy.
Wire-free, radiation-free breast cancer localization
For women having a lumpectomy, we use a technique to indicate where the abnormal tissue resides so the surgeon can more easily locate and remove it in the operating room. Some breast tumor localization techniques used elsewhere include wire localization (insertion of a wire into the breast on the day of surgery), radioactive seeds, and radiofrequency implants. At the Meyer Cancer Center, we use a very modern technique called magnetic lesion localization (Magseed).
A tiny Magseed marker — about the size of a grain of rice — can be placed days, weeks, or even months ahead of surgery, during a procedure that takes just minutes and is guided by breast imaging. The special Magseed design enables it to stay firmly implanted in the cancer until your surgery. During surgery, the surgeon uses a special device to locate the Magseed marker, which is removed along with the breast tumor.
Breast reconstruction during or after mastectomy
We offer breast reconstruction to women who are having a mastectomy, which we can perform during your cancer surgery or at a later time. Your surgeon will let you know if you are a candidate for reconstruction using fat tissue from another part of your body ("autologous" breast reconstruction). Our surgeons also offer breast implants using the latest techniques.
Medical treatments for breast cancer
The medical oncologists at the Meyer Cancer Center have exceptional experience and access not only to conventional chemotherapy, but also cutting-edge treatments that zero in on the molecular drivers of your tumor's growth. We use personalized "precision" medicine — choosing targeted treatments for you that are based on your tumor's specific molecular features.
Minimizing hair loss during chemotherapy
The DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System is a patented medical cooling device that offers people with cancer the ability to minimize hair loss during chemotherapy, improving well-being and quality of life. DigniCap provides continuous cooling effectively and safely. The Meyer Cancer Center is the only center in Brooklyn to offer DigniCap.
Our Infusion Center
Our modern infusion center is staffed with oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who monitor your treatment, educate you about possible side effects and make sure you are comfortable throughout the entire process.
Hormonal therapy
Women whose tumors are fueled by estrogen or progesterone may receive hormonal therapies as part of their treatments. Examples of hormonal treatments include tamoxifen, raloxifene, exemestane, letrozole, and anastrozole. These medications are taken orally (by mouth) so you can take them at home, with guidance and support from your medical oncologist. Other hormonal therapies for advanced breast cancer are given by injection in your doctor’s office.
Immunotherapy for breast cancer
Immunotherapy harnesses the power of your immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. We offer the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab in combination with the chemotherapy drug nab-paclitaxel, which we give in our infusion centers to some women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (a type of the disease that does not contain receptors for estrogen, progesterone, or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2 protein]).
Clinical trials
When conventional therapies fail to control breast cancer, patients may be able to receive an investigational treatment through a clinical trial. Your care team will let you know if you may be eligible for a clinical trial. The decision to participate is entirely yours. For more information about breast cancer clinical trials, call 718-499-2004 or find a clinical trial online.
Radiation therapy for breast cancer
Radiation therapy is a common component of breast cancer treatment. It may be given after or sometimes before surgery. Some types of radiation therapy work from the outside, using highly targeted beams of radiation. Other therapies work from the inside, using radioactive sources that are placed near the cancerous tissue. The radiation oncology team at our Meyer Cancer Center offers all of these approaches and tailors your radiation therapy plan to your needs.
To learn more about radiation treatment for breast cancer at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, or to make an appointment for a consultation, call us at 718-780-3677.
Precision external-beam radiation therapy
We use highly precise external-beam radiation therapy technologies, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), to shape radiation beams to the contours of your tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. Many women are also candidates for hypofractionated radiation therapy — higher doses of radiation given over a shorter total period than conventional treatment — which is more convenient and safer.
Prone radiation therapy for breast cancer
Radiation to the chest can result in unnecessary exposure to the heart, lungs, and other organs. Our team offers prone breast radiation, which radiates breast cancer cells while sparing nearby healthy tissues and reducing your risk of side effects. You lie face down on the table with the affected breast isolated. Radiation can be directed only to the breast while the rest of your body remains protected.
Internal radiation therapy
Also called brachytherapy, we use this approach to deliver radiation therapy directly within your breast after the tumor has been surgically removed. Our goal is to reduce the number and duration of radiotherapy sessions needed to treat your cancer and to protect your healthy tissue. At the Meyer Cancer Center, we use the MammoSite® Radiation Therapy System, which significantly reduces treatment time and can target therapeutic radiation with great precision.