Subcutaneous Mastectomy

If widespread precancerous lesions are detected in the person or if there are close relatives in the family who have developed breast cancer and if the patient's genetic screening reveals a high risk of breast cancer, it may be decided to drain the breast tissue without waiting for the patient to develop breast cancer. In this surgery, which is performed to prevent breast cancer, all breast tissue is removed. Again, frozen technique is used. If no carcinogenic focus is detected in breast cancer, the axillary lymph nodes are left untouched and the breast tissue is repaired and closed with a prosthesis.

It is very important to detect the subcutaneous spread of the breast tissue, which was examined with MRI before this procedure. Breast tissue, whose first structure is a sweat gland, clings to the skin by giving extensions during its development. Fatty breasts manifest themselves as not very noticeable extensions, and in some patients as prominent breast tissue extending under the skin. Since subcutaneous mastectomy is performed to reduce risk, the desired result is achieved by removing glandular tissues that can be embedded in the fatty tissue. In addition to removing all this breast tissue, the gland tissue and ducts under the nipple are also removed during surgery. Thus, overseas studies show that this surgery can reduce the risk by up to 95%.

In subcutaneous mastectomy, the incision is made in the lower middle quadrant if there is no cancer and a surgery is planned for the development of cancer in the future. If a surgery is planned due to a tumor and a sampling will be made from the armpit glands, an incision is planned in the upper outer quadrant.

The most important aspect of this type of surgery is to avoid factors that will prevent the healing of the tissue, as the nipple and skin will be injured. While these include intense stress, not being mentally and physically ready for surgery, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypothyroidism diseases, the most important factor is that the patient smokes. Regardless of the amount, wound nutrition problems are much more common in smokers than in non-smokers. When such a surgery is planned, the person who smokes cigarettes is asked not to smoke for at least 1 month before the surgery and at least 3 months after it.