Over the decades the word of the surgical treatment of breast cancer has dramatically changed and improved. Fifty years ago, women with a lump in the breast were put to sleep and the lump was biopsied and if the frozen section was cancerous, the surgeon proceeded ahead and did a radical mastectomy.

The world has changed over the past half century. Progressing to modified radical mastectomy (where the muscles are not removed) to lumpectomy and NOW we enter the world of ONCOPLASTIC BREAST surgery.

Onco (meaning cancer) and plastic meaning as said, plastic surgery. Now in many cases, surgery is not disfiguring from the cancer surgery simply because plastic surgery becomes part of the procedure to reshape and give symmetry to the breast after the cancer or lump is removed. No visible disfiguring scars and some disfigurement to the breast even with a lumpectomy for the breast cancer.

This past week Dr. Lygas traveled to Las Vegas to participate in another oncoplastic surgery course continuing in his quest to improve the shape and symmetry of the breast after breast cancer surgery.

These series of courses are quite intense. Three days of lectures and operating on cadavers 12 hours a day to prefect one’s skills in these new techniques. (No, he never enjoyed Las Vegas- after 12 hours of intense training and surgery, all he wanted to do was have dinner and go to bed-another 12-hour day awaits in the morning). At the end of the course significant new skills were reinforced and perfected.