W&I offers new breast surgery approach

By Richard Asinof
Contributing Writer
Twitter: @RichardAsinof

PROVIDENCE – A new technique for breast surgery and cosmetic preservation is now being offered by Women & Infants Hospital, the first hospital in New England to do so, hospital officials announced on Nov. 29.

The new technique, oncoplastic surgery, pioneered by Dr. Krishna B. Clough, medical director of the Paris Breast Center, combines the best techniques from plastic and oncologic surgeries. Surgeons first remove breast cancer, then reshape the remaining breast. The end result is a cancer-free breast that looks natural.

Dr. Jennifer Gass, chief of surgery at Women & Infants Hospital, recently completed a one-month sabbatical in Paris with Clough, enabling the new technique to be offered in Providence.

“Many women with breast cancer know they need to have surgery to remove the disease but they are afraid of looking disfigured after surgery,” said Gass, a breast surgeon who is also director of the Breast Fellowship at Women & Infants. “The goal of oncoplastic surgery is to improve the patient’s journey through survivorship,” she continued. “We want women to look at themselves with the pride they deserve, rather than looking at a scar as if it were a badge of courage.”