Breast Surgeon

Breast Cancer And Cosmetic Surgeon

Dr Saliba has a strong special interest in breast health and breast surgery. She offers a comprehensive service for those experiencing breast cancers or requiring cosmetic breast surgery–from consultation, to surgery and post surgery.  This can include breast reconstruction and symmetry breast surgery in conjunction with breast cancer surgery as well as cosmetic surgery including breast augmentation, breast lift/mastopexy, breast symmetry and breast reduction.

The goal of Dr Saliba and her team is to provide a complete service for patients that takes into account their ongoing breast health as well as the related emotional stress due to the complex physical and psychoogical nature of this type of surgery. We understand women’s needs and that feeling good is strongly influenced about how we look – not just about our health.

As a female specialist Breast Surgeon, Dr Lucia Saliba understands the need of nurturing, caring and providing understanding to patients who are in a difficult and uncomfortable position in their lives. Her approach to ensuring holistic end to end care for her patients means a patient is able to stay with her from oncological (cancer) surgery, through to re-construction. Her strong professional connections and networks also means she is able to refer to other specialists when the need arises.

Maintaining breast heatlh awareness  is necessary for every woman to keep breasts healthy and avoid many breast problems and keep a positive self image.

There are many healthy lifestyle choices you can make that will improve your general health and will also benefit your breasts. These include:

  • Being active and/or exercising regularly;
  • Eating a variety of low-fat, high-fibre and whole grain foods;
  • Eating lots of dark green, orange and red vegetables and fruits daily;
  • Eating foods daily that are high in phytoestrogens (plant estrogens or isoflavones), such as soy, lentils and grains.  These foods have been linked, in some studies, to breast cancer prevention;
  • Not smoking;
  • Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink; and
  • Limiting the caffeine you drink or eat – coffee, tea, chocolate, cola and some other soft drinks may contain relatively high amounts of caffeine and sugar.

In addition to these lifestyle choices, get to know what your breasts feel like so that you’ll know what is normal for you and will recognise any changes that happen.Good breast health starts with good routine care.

Mammograms are recommended every 2 to 3 years for women aged between 50 and 69, who are considered average risk.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), accounting for over 25 per cent of all new cancers in women. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Australian women, accounting for 15.3 per cent of all cancer deaths in women.

Breast cancer can start in the ducts or lobules of the breast. Sometimes cancer cells stay in the ducts and lobules of the breast. This is called non-invasive breast cancer. If the cancer cells spread into the surrounding tissue, this is called invasive breast cancer.

Sometimes, breast cancer cells travel in the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body such as the bones or liver. This is called metastatic breast cancer (or secondary or advanced breast cancer).

It’s important that all women know what they can do to help find breast cancer early.

Finding breast cancer early means there are more treatment options and the chances of survival are greatest.It’s never too early to start being breast aware and it’s important to keep up the habit, even if you’re having regular mammograms.

You don’t need to be an expert or use a special technique to check your breasts. Take the time to get to know the normal look and feel of your breasts as part of everyday activities like showering, dressing, putting on body lotion or simply looking in the mirror. Knowing what is normal for you will help you to detect any new breast changes.

Breast changes to look out for include:

  • A new lump or lumpiness, especially if it’s only in one breast
  • A change in the size or shape of your breast
  • A change to the nipple, such as crusting, ulcer, redness or inversion
  • A nipple discharge that occurs without squeezing
  • A change in the skin of your breast, such as redness or dimpling
  • An unusual pain that doesn’t go away.

Nine out of ten breast changes aren’t due to cancer, but it’s important to see a doctor to be sure. If you find a breast change that is unusual for you, see your GP without delay.

Breast Surgery is a surgical subspecialty in Australia and breast surgeons treat women and men with all forms of breast disease, both benign and malignant.

Dr Lucia Saliba is a specialist breast surgeon with vast expertise  in breast surgery. Dr Saliba offers a complete service for those experiencing breast cancers – from consultation, to surgery, to post surgery – and this can include breast reconstruction and symmetry breast surgery for patients who require a mastectomy or lumpectomy.

Dr Saliba also offers a variety of cosmetic breast enhancement treatments to give you a look that is natural and beautiful. These procedures include breast augmentation, Breast Lift / Mastopexy and breast reduction. 

As a surgical Breast Specialist, Dr Saliba has extensive knowledge of cancer biology, molecular genetics and an understanding of non-surgical oncology fields including pathology, radiation oncology and medical oncology. Dr Saliba is a comprehensive surgeon, looking after patients pre and post surgery to ensure the best medical outcome, offering after care, emotional support, support groups and any follow up reconstructive surgeries.

As a female specialist Surgeon, Dr Saliba understands her medical role in nurturing, caring and understanding patients who are in a difficult and uncomfortable position in their lives. Dr Saliba provides end to end care for her patients, meaning a patient is able to stay with her from oncological surgery, through to re-construction. She also has strong connections and networks, where she is able to refer to other specialists when the need arises.

Surgery for breast cancer

Most women with breast cancer have some type of surgery required to remove a breast tumour. Options for this include breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. Breast reconstruction can be done at the same time as surgery or later on. Surgery is also used to check the lymph nodes under the arm for cancer spread.

Breast-conserving surgery

This type of surgery is sometimes called partial (or segmental) mastectomy. It only removes a part of the affected breast, but how much is removed depends on the size and location of the tumour and other factors.

For many women with stage I or II breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery plus radiation therapy is as effective as mastectomy. But breast-conserving surgery is not an option for all women with breast cancer.

Traditionally, surgeons who treated breast cancer were taught how to remove the cancer only, however, during breast conserving surgery, Dr Lucia Saliba uses plastic surgical techniques to improve cosmetic outcomes at the same time. By integrating plastics techniques into breast conservation surgery, a wider excision is achieved, expanding the limits of breast conservation while limiting the overall cosmetic deformities.

Mastectomy

Mastectomy is surgery to remove the entire breast. All of the breast tissue is removed, sometimes along with other nearby tissues. A mastectomy is sometimes a more effective medical recommendation for women who have:

  • already had radiation therapy to the affected breast
  • two or more areas of cancer in the same breast
  • large tumours that didn’t shrink very much with chemotherapy
  • inflammatory breast cancer
  • a cancer that is large, relative to their breast size

Dr Lucia Saliba is a breast surgeon who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the breast. She is Senior Consultant Surgeon at Fairfield and Auburn Public Hospitals and a Visiting Medical Office at Breast Screen facilities, Campbelltown Private Hospital, Sydney South West Private Hospital, Westmead Private Hospital, Holroyd Private Hospital, Liverpool Day Surgery and The Surgery Centre, Hurstville. Dr Saliba has her private practice rooms at Campbelltown, Liverpool and Caringbah.

The emotional and physical stress of a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the prospect of a mastectomy, is daunting. Breast reconstruction surgery aims to restore the appearance of a natural breast after a mastectomy and can help a woman look and feel like her normal self again. Many women find that breast reconstruction significantly improves their self-image, self-confidence and quality of life.

Breast reconstruction is a procedure carried out to restore breast shape and replace breast tissue lost during a mastectomy. The goal is to match the opposite breast as closely as possible. In some cases, this means creating a pair of breasts that are symmetrical and natural looking and, if possible, resemble the patient’s original breasts.

The majority of breast reconstructions are performed as immediate reconstructions at the time of mastectomy. This can produce the optimal aesthetic result since it allows for preservation of the breast skin envelope, inframammary fold and, sometimes, for nipple preservation.

The benefits of immediate reconstruction can include:

  • The cosmetic results are usually better
  • More of the skin of your breast can be preserved (and also the nipple on occasions)
  • The scarring on the breast itself is usually less
  • You will not have to spend any time without a breast mound

Not all women will be suitable candidates for an immediate reconstruction. Delayed reconstruction is, indeed, a preferable option for some patients.

The benefits of delayed reconstruction are:

  • Your cancer treatment can proceed without delay
  • There is more time to consider whether reconstruction is right for you
  • There is less for the patient to deal with, all at once

The choice of reconstruction is complex and depends, to some extent, on the type of treatment used for the breast cancer, particularly radiation treatment. Dr Saliba will work closely with you and the medical breast cancer team to determine the best choice for each individual case.

If you have had a mestectomy or lumpectomy in the past, breast reconstruction can still be an option for you. We can help you to understand what the most appropriate options and solutions are to suit your individual needs.

Lumpectomy, which is sometimes known as partial mastectomy, is performed on some women with breast cancer. It involves removal of the area of cancer or pre-cancer, along with a small amount of surrounding normal breast tissue. It is considered “breast conservation”, since a mastectomy (removing all the breast tissue) is not performed.

Most women who have a lumpectomy performed will need postoperative radiation therapy. Radiation therapy tends to cause shrinkage of the remaining normal breast tissue. When this is combined with the scarring from the lumpectomy, this can have negative effects on the overall appearance of the breast. Mastectomy reconstruction is usually performed at the same time that the lumpectomy is performed by the breast surgeon. Plastic surgeons use the same skills and techniques that are used in breast lift (mastopexy) and breast reduction surgery, to rearrange the remainder of the breast tissue and fill in the lumpectomy defect.

This is often combined with a matching breast lift or breast reduction on the opposite cancer-free breast. In effect, both breasts are lifted (perkier), reduced in size, and more symmetric. After radiation of the breast on the cancer side, there is significantly less distortion of the breast, leading to an overall better cosmetic outcome.