Elective Course Description
The Breast Surgery Service annually averages more than 2,500 cases and 4,000 new patient visits. Currently there are 15 full-time academic breast surgeons on the service. The medical student will be assigned to one of four surgical breast teams and will round with the fellow who is responsible for pre- and postoperative patient care and performs operations under the direction of the attending surgeon on his/her team. In addition, the medical student will attend the office hours of the attending surgeons in order to gain experience in the outpatient management of breast cancer and benign breast disease.
The Breast Surgical Service holds a weekly lecture series and monthly journal club moderated by an attending physician with expertise in the topic to be discussed. In addition, a multidisciplinary conference is held weekly to discuss breast cancer management issues across all specialties including medical oncology, plastic surgery, radiology, radiation oncology, and psychiatry.
Learning Objectives
- Know the components of a thorough breast examination, including examination of the nodal basins.
- Describe the surgical options for the treatment of breast cancer in both the breast and the axilla.
- Understand the treatment of breast cancer by stage.
- Describe how to manage a patient with an imaging abnormality.
