How can a woman diagnosed with breast cancer help herself live longer and live more?
Did you know that simply by choosing the type of surgery she undergoes, a patient can have a significant impact on her chances of surviving breast cancer? Find out the facts about what is often not discussed with or explained to patients. ​
Breast Conservation Treatment
At Just Medicine, we believe in a less injurious approach to breast cancer treatment
A Gentler Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment
Evidence shows that in early-stage operable breast cancer, breast conservation treatment (removing the cancer while preserving the non-involved parts of the breast) results in higher breast cancer survival rates & therefore better cure rates than mastectomy (total breast removal). Dr Mona Tan, who helms the section of Breast Cancer Surgery of Just Medicine, is a firm believer of this and wishes to offer breast conservation treatment (BCT) to as many women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer as possible. ​
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Dr Tan will assess all the aspects of her patients which are relevant to treatment during consultation, including past medical history, clinical & imaging findings and pathology results. She will then discuss the best treatment plan. She will also provide reasonable alternative approaches. The patient is at liberty to select the strategy which suits her, taking into account personal preferences and circumstances.
About Just Medicine
Just Medicine is a medical consultation service which aims to provide the best evidence-based treatment tailored for patients' needs.
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Dr Tan has returned to clinical practice after a brief sabbatical where she took time to acquire a further degree in surgery. Apart from having qualified as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS, Ed, UK) in 1994, she was conferred the prestigious degree of Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) in October 2023.
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From her own experience, Dr Tan knows that as many as 85% of women with breast cancer can undergo BCT (surgical terms with similar meanings include lumpectomy, partial mastectomy and breast conserving surgery). However, public education about BCT is lacking and Dr Tan feels that too many women are undergoing mastectomy. What is particularly alarming is that, as recently as in the year 2023, there were reports in the media promoting mastectomy by senior surgeons in the public healthcare sector. Dr Tan wishes very much to correct this misperception, which some experts have termed ‘the mastectomy myth’, and offer BCT to more women with breast cancer.
