Breast surgery is performed to clarify a suspicious finding or to remove a malignant tumour. Our aim is always to preserve the breast. Thanks to our many years of experience and high level of expertise in the field of breast surgery, we are able to achieve this in most cases.
If the suspicion of a tumour in the breast is confirmed, we carefully plan all treatment steps together with all specialists involved in our interdisciplinary tumour conference. In addition to surgical treatment, drug therapy and often local radiotherapy are further necessary steps that you will receive from us or our cooperation partners on a customised basis.
Our team of experienced doctors and nursing staff
- is scientifically and technically up to date in breast surgery,
- performs every medically necessary reconstructive and cosmetic procedure on the female and male breast,
- enables highly individualised therapies thanks to the variety of treatment methods.
We offer the complete spectrum of modern breast surgery:
- Breast-conserving surgery
- Breast reconstruction with implants
- Mesh or matrix-supported breast reconstruction with implants
- Breast reconstruction with autologous tissue (pedicled and free flaps)
- Breast reconstruction with autologous fat
- Plastic coverage of chronic wounds in the breast area
- Breast reduction
- Breast augmentation with implants or autologous fat
- Breast correction for congenital breast malformations
- Correction of breast asymmetry
As we offer all modern methods for breast conservation and reconstruction, we can perform breast-conserving surgery on 75% of all tumours. The tumour is gently removed from the healthy tissue with a small safety margin. The incision is made individually, taking oncological and aesthetic aspects into account.
During the operation, we examine the adjacent lymph nodes in the armpit for possible tumour infestation. For this purpose, the lymph node closest to the tumour, the so-called sentinel lymph node, is removed. If this is healthy or only slightly affected, no further lymph nodes are removed. In this way, we ensure that the procedure is always kept as small as possible. Depending on personal circumstances, a breast reduction may be necessary for larger tumours in order to preserve the breast. In this case, the second breast is optically harmonised.
We offer the entire spectrum of reconstructive breast surgery, particularly when removing a malignant tumour. The missing breast volume can be replaced with foreign material (allogenic breast reconstruction with expander and silicone implants) or with the patient's own tissue (autologous breast reconstruction). The optimal time for reconstruction and the type of operation are determined on an individual basis. Restoring body image can effectively support recovery, especially psychologically.
Together with our specialists, the patient chooses the method that is medically best for her and with which she feels most comfortable. We will explain in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the various options for reconstructing the breast using the patient's own tissue or implants. We only use methods and materials that are both medically advisable and meet the highest aesthetic standards.
- Breast reconstruction with autologous tissue
- Breast reconstruction with foreign tissue
- Selection of surgical technique
Breast reconstruction with pedicled or free flaps
In autologous tissue reconstruction, skin-fat tissue is removed from the lower abdomen or skin-muscle tissue from the back and transplanted. This can also be performed as a free tissue transplant (DIEP). In this procedure, skin and fatty tissue with blood vessels are removed from the lower abdomen and used to form a new breast. The advantage of free flap transfer over the breast augmentation method using pedicled flaps is that no muscle tissue is removed and the donor site (the abdomen) is therefore functionally spared. We offer this method together with one of the most experienced plastic surgeons in Germany, Prof Dr Andree.
Breast reconstruction through fat transfer (lipofilling)
Using autologous fat (from the lower abdomen or thigh), smaller defects, but also the entire breast, can be reconstructed in a scar-saving and minimally invasive way.
If the entire breast tissue has been removed, we can reconstruct the breast with the help of a silicone implant. We will be happy to provide you with detailed information about the various options (implant type, placement, size, etc.) in a personal consultation.
The main medical factors for selecting the optimal surgical technique are
- Stage and location of the tumour
- Overall therapeutic concept (e.g. radiotherapy, chemotherapy, aftercare)
- Individual physical factors (overweight and underweight, size and shape of the healthy breast)
- Previous operations
Once all influencing factors have been clarified, the patient's wishes in particular have a decisive influence on the choice of surgical procedure.
Patients who wish to have aesthetic corrections are also comprehensively examined by us and professionally cared for during aftercare. This sets the team at the Breast Centre apart from many other providers of aesthetic surgery. In addition to surgical procedures to treat breast changes, we also offer the correction of congenital anomalies. As the individual conditions are also very different here, it is also important for us to find the best individual solution together with the patient.
For example, we offer
- Breast augmentation with implants and autologous fat
- Breast reduction (reduction plastic surgery)
- Adjustment of different breasts (asymmetry)
- Correction of tubular breasts (tubular maldevelopment usually with an oversized areola)
In addition to the operation, many patients receive follow-up treatment with medication to reduce the risk of tumour recurrence and thus increase the long-term chances of recovery. We rely on a suitable combination of hormone, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or antibody therapy. In certain cases, it may be indicated to carry out drug therapy before breast surgery. Our range of therapeutic options is always up to date. We want to treat you as gently and effectively as possible so that you can overcome your illness quickly and enjoy a good quality of life.
Drug therapy is mainly carried out on an outpatient basis in our Interdisciplinary Oncological Day Clinic (IOT). If necessary, the medication can be administered gently via a so-called port system, which is implanted during a minor operation. A wide range of supportive treatment options for side effects (supportive therapies) ensures that the drug therapy is not only effective but also well tolerated.
You can find detailed information on drug therapy on the page Drug oncology.
The radiotherapy of the diseased breast required after breast-conserving surgery is carried out by our radiotherapy colleagues once the wound has healed or after any necessary chemotherapy. The radiotherapy is carried out in several individual sessions in order to additionally utilise the repair capacity of healthy tissue. Any tumour cells remaining in the breast after the operation are destroyed. This significantly reduces the risk of the tumour recurring in the breast. After breast removal surgery, it depends on various factors whether additional radiotherapy of the chest wall is necessary. Radiotherapy can also be an effective tumour treatment for metastases and successfully alleviate symptoms. An individual treatment plan is discussed for each patient in our interdisciplinary tumour conference.
IORT (IntraOperative RadioTherapy) is a new method of breast radiotherapy in which radiotherapy is carried out during the operation. At our centre, this particularly targeted radiation is carried out using a special device with low-energy X-rays. The radiation is administered exactly where the tumour was removed immediately beforehand during the breast-conserving operation. The treatment only extends the operation time by a few minutes. The skin is spared because the radiotherapy is administered when the wound is open. Another advantage is that the necessary radiotherapy time after the operation is reduced by approximately one week.
Detailed information on radiotherapy can be found on the website of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiooncology.