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Diagnostics

The earlier breast abnormalities are diagnosed, the better chances are for a full recovery. Digital mammography, breast self-awareness and clinical breast exam are the basic screenings for breast cancer. Ultrasound and minimally invasive techniques play an additional role in detecting and evaluating certain breast conditions including cysts, micro-calcifications, fibrocystic breast disease, mastitis, problems with implants and cancer.

The diagnostic services offered at MercyOne Katzmann Breast Care include in-office breast ultrasound performed by breast surgeons for image guided biopsy, staging and treatment planning. Katzmann works closely with MercyOne Imaging to include high-quality digital and 3D mammography, breast ultrasound and breast MRI.

Treatment Planning

In the event cancer or another problem requiring treatment is present, a team of specialists will evaluate your medical condition in detail. Taking your personal concerns and preferences into consideration, the team will develop an individualized treatment plan specifically designed for your personal situation.

A breast health navigator will assist in scheduling consultations with specialists from appropriate medical disciplines. Your personal physician will be involved and informed of your care every step of the way.

MercyOne Katzmann Breast Care works directly with MercyOne Cancer Center to provide nutritional counseling, rehabilitation services, genetic risk assessments and other valuable services for breast cancer patients and their families.

Advanced surgical options

At KatzmannOne Breast Care, patients have access to the most advanced surgical options in breast cancer surgery. Our team of surgeons are trained in advanced surgical techniques in order to provide you the best surgical treatment options available.

Hidden Scar Surgery

Breast cancer can be surgically removed with a mastectomy procedure (your surgeon will remove all of your breast tissue) or a lumpectomy procedure (your surgeon will remove only part of your breast tissue). With a Hidden Scar approach, our surgeons place your incision in a location that is hard to see, so that the scar is not visible when your incision heals. As a result, you have little to no visible reminder of the surgery or your cancer.

The Hidden Scar approach can be performed for a nipple sparing mastectomy or a lumpectomy procedure. Patients qualify for Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery based on the size and location of the tumor, breast shape and breast size. Those who undergo the Hidden Scar approach do not have a higher risk of cancer recurrence than patients who undergo any other type of technique.

Hidden Scar Lumpectomy

In a lumpectomy procedure, your surgeon will remove a breast cancer tumor and a small portion of healthy tissue surrounding the tumor (margin), but will save the majority of the breast including the nipple area. There are three different locations for a lumpectomy incision that make the scar less visible:

Breast Fold: The natural crease beneath the breast 
Periareolar: Along the edges of the areola 
Axilla: In the armpit, usually hidden in a natural fold

You may be considered for a Hidden Scar Lumpectomy if the size of the tumor is small enough relative to the size of your breast, and if the cancer has not spread to other areas of the breast.

Hidden Scar Nipple Sparing Mastectomy

In a mastectomy procedure, your surgeon removes breast cancer tumor by removing all of the breast tissue. There are several mastectomy options: a simple (total) mastectomy, a skin sparing mastectomy, and a nipple sparing mastectomy (NSM). A Nipple Sparing Mastectomy is a type of mastectomy procedure where the surgeon removes all of the breast tissue, but does not remove the nipple.

A Nipple Sparing Mastectomy can be performed as a Hidden Scar Procedure. For this procedure, the incision is made in the breast fold, or the natural crease beneath the breast.

You may be considered for a Hidden Scar Nipple Sparing Mastectomy if no cancerous tissue is found in the nipple. Additionally, a Hidden Scar Nipple Sparing Mastectomy is a safe approach that can be used in patients seeking a prophylactic mastectomy (a mastectomy that is performed even if cancer does not exist – this may be performed if the patient has a family history or carries the BRCA gene), in women with DCIS (non-invasive cancer), or small tumors that do not lie directly beneath the nipple.

For more information on Hidden Scar procedures, visit breastcancersurgery.com.