Risk-Reducing Surgery

The goal of risk-reducing surgery is to reduce the risk of breast cancer by removing breast tissue before it develops in patients at high risk of developing cancer.

Today, the advancement of genetic diagnosis methods, a full understanding of the familial history of breast cancer, and the identification of genetic chromosomal abnormalities that cause breast cancer allow patients to significantly estimate their likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Risk-reducing mastectomy was developed to address this need. Women who are candidates for a risk-reducing mastectomy should first undergo detailed genetic testing, including all possible chromosomal abnormalities. All possible outcomes should then be discussed with the candidate for risk-reducing mastectomy, and any questions they may have should be clarified.

Risk-reducing mastectomy, a bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy followed by reconstruction with implants, can provide both freedom from breast cancer and, as a secondary benefit, the possibility of living with more aesthetically pleasing breasts.