Patient information

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Like any type of cancer, this malignant disease can spread. Early breast cancers, i.e. Fortunately, the majority of cases of early breast cancer, i.e. situations in which the cancer has not yet spread, are curable.

Yes, most cases of breast cancer can now be cured thanks to modern therapies. For patients with metastasised disease, a definitive cure is no longer possible, but new therapies can often delay the progression of the disease for a long time.

As a university hospital, we can offer you the opportunity to participate in therapy studies for the treatment of breast cancer with new drugs or other therapeutic approaches.

Please make an appointment at our centre for familial breast and ovarian cancer. In addition to a detailed discussion, we will draw up a family tree of your family and discuss the next steps with you depending on your individual risk situation.

You can find detailed information on the website of the Centre for Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer.

All new palpation findings such as lumps in the breast should be fully investigated. You should also consult a doctor in the event of skin changes such as a reddened or scaly nipple, new reddening of the breast, swelling or skin retraction. This also applies to secretions from the nipple, such as bloody or brownish discharge.

Guideline-based treatment clearly improves the care situation for patients. A certified breast centre guarantees you a high standard of quality with interdisciplinary cooperation. Regular certification means that the care situation is reviewed at regular intervals and quality is continuously guaranteed.

Over 400 patients with new breast cancer are treated surgically in our Breast Centre every year, and around 9,000 patient contacts with individual questions are completed in our day clinic.

Yes, in our breast consultation you will be treated by the breast consultation team. We also endeavour to ensure that, where possible, you always see the same contact person within this team.

You have discovered a conspicuous lump in your breast or you have felt something unusual yourself. This is nothing to worry about at first, as most breast lumps are benign and do not need to be treated.

Make an appointment at our breast centre

It is very important to have the change thoroughly examined. Therefore, you should always make an appointment at our breast consultation centre after visiting your gynaecologist. Please bring all existing treatment documents with you to the appointment. During your first appointment, we can carry out a complete examination and, if necessary, take a sample. The subsequent histological examination by the pathology department takes a few days. We will then take plenty of time to discuss the results with you at a further appointment at our breast centre. If you wish, we will inform you of the results in advance by telephone.

If the suspicion of a tumour is confirmed

If you have a malignant tumour, this is naturally very stressful. However, most malignant breast tumours can be treated very well. The chances of recovery are now 90 per cent. It is important to us to work with you to create a customised treatment plan and provide you with the highest level of treatment. Together with all the specialists involved, we therefore carefully plan all the treatment steps in our interdisciplinary tumour conference, which we explain to you in detail.

If the tumour responds well to chemotherapy, this is usually carried out before the operation. This has the advantage that the tumour can shrink or disappear completely. In all other cases, surgery is performed first. Most tumour removals can be performed through a small incision to preserve the breast. If a complete removal of the mammary gland is necessary, we can also perform this operation gently. If possible, the entire skin with the nipple is left in place.

Once the treatment has been completed, you have the option of attending rehabilitation. The Social Counselling Service at the University Hospital will be happy to advise you during your inpatient stay on any questions you may have about rehabilitation measures and will help you with the application process. Further aftercare will be planned together with your gynaecologist.

In principle, the following treatment options are available for breast cancer:

• surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Drug therapies (anti-hormone therapy, chemotherapy, antibody therapy, etc.)

Which of these treatment options are necessary for you and in what order varies greatly from person to person. Depending on this, the duration of treatment also varies greatly between individual patients.

Breast-conserving surgery is always possible if the breast cancer is still relatively small or the ratio of breast cancer to breast allows breast-conserving surgery. The larger the breast, the larger breast cancers can in principle be operated on with breast-conserving surgery.

If the skin is affected or is difficult to distinguish from the cancer, it must also be removed. If there are several centres of cancer in the breast, breast-conserving surgery is not possible in most cases.

As a rule, radiotherapy of the remaining breast must be carried out after every breast-conserving operation. This usually takes about six weeks.

Around 900 breast operations are performed in our breast centre every year. This includes operations that are performed for either benign or malignant breast disease.

The main reasons for breast reconstruction are breast cancer and the removal of diseased mammary glands. The precautionary removal of the mammary gland in the case of a genetically increased risk of breast cancer can also be a reason for breast reconstruction. There are various methods of breast reconstruction, some of which can be very confusing for laypeople. In principle, a distinction is made between three variants:

• Implant reconstruction (silicone implants)
• autologous tissue reconstruction (transplantation of tissue from the patient's own body, e.g. from the abdomen or back)
• autologous fat cell transplantation (injection of the body's own fat cells)

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. The choice of the appropriate method depends on many individual factors. We will be happy to inform and advise you personally about the various methods and options for restoring your breasts.

Breast implants generally last at least 10 to 20 years, sometimes significantly longer. Normally, the implant manufacturer provides a lifetime guarantee on the breast implant material.

Whether the costs of breast reconstruction are covered by health insurance depends on various factors. In the case of cancer or an increased risk of cancer, the operation is usually covered by health insurance. If you are unsure whether the costs will be covered, we will be happy to advise you during our consultation hours and/or contact your health insurance provider directly if necessary.

No, not every type of breast cancer needs chemotherapy. Fortunately, most women with breast cancer do not need chemotherapy.

The decision for or against chemotherapy depends on the following factors:

• Characteristics of the breast cancer (tumour biology)
• Size of the breast cancer
• Lymph node involvement
• Individual situation (age, previous illnesses, etc.)

Yes, we offer a range of clinical trials. Both new, innovative drugs and surgical methods are being investigated as part of clinical trials at the University Women's Hospital Ulm.

If you are eligible for a clinical trial, we will suggest participation in our tumour conference (therapy recommendation of the interdisciplinary breast conference). Your attending physician will then offer you the opportunity to take part in the trial during the information session and explain further details to you. All study participation is voluntary, i.e. You are completely free to decide. If you do not wish to take part in a trial, we will offer you the best treatment for your situation outside of a trial.

You can also find an overview of all trials currently running at Ulm University Women's Hospital under Research / Trials. If you have any further questions about clinical trials, please do not hesitate to contact our study centre.

Yes, in most cases it is possible to become pregnant after cancer treatment. However, fertility-preserving measures should be carried out before chemotherapy in order to keep the possibility of pregnancy open for you in the future. Our colleagues at the fertility clinic can discuss all further details, treatment methods and individually available options with you.

You can find more information about fertility preservation before chemotherapy or radiotherapy on the UniFee Fertility Centre website.