Breast Cancer Surgery Basics

Breast cancer is a complex topic, but it is difficult to understand all that complexity as a medical student until you have a foundational understanding of the basic surgeries used for breast cancer treatment. This video reviews the four operative techniques used to treat breast cancer and how they can be combined, then discusses the differences when dealing with DCIS vs ductal carcinoma, and finally covers some high yield anatomy you may get asked in the operating room. Four operative techniques: For the primary lesion: Mastectomy Partial mastectomy (aka lumpectomy, aka BCT) For the nodes: Axillary Dissection Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) biopsy These videos are for educational purposes only. They do not represent medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat any diseases.