I have over 20 years of experience providing care and surgery for patients with breast conditions. This includes assessment, surgery and non-surgical care for:
- breast cancer eg. Invasive carcinoma and in situ disease (DCIS and LCIS)
- benign lumps eg. Fibroadenomas, Papillomas and Phyllodes tumours
- investigation of symptoms: eg. nipple discharge, accessory breast tissue in the axilla/armpit
- individualised risk-assessment +/- genetic testing
- prophylactic mastectomy for women at high risk for breast cancer.
Breast care makes up around half of my practice (2 days per week at St Marks Best Centre in Auckland and at Vinery Lane Surgery in Whangarei). I have operated on hundreds of women with breast cancer and am fortunate to work closely with a highly specialised multidisciplinary team including oncologists, breast radiologists, plastic surgeons, genetic councillors and breast nurses.
Over 20 years I have developed highly specialised expertise in advice and surgery for women at high risk for breast cancer. An increased risk for developing breast cancer can either be due to the inheritance of a known breast cancer predisposition gene (eg. BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CDH1, TP53), or where there is a strong family history of breast (+/- ovarian cancer) which indicates an increased risk, however, no underlying genetic cause has been identified. Because of my research in hereditary lobular breast cancer, I have also developed a deep knowledge about lobular breast cancer, with recent journal articles (Lancet Oncology 2021) and a book chapter (2022) on hereditary lobular breast cancer. Please see the section on my research and professional activities for more detail.
When women require a mastectomy either for cancer or for prophylactic risk-reduction, I work closely with plastic surgeons in Auckland hence women have access to every type of reconstruction including DIEP flap surgery (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator flap – using the same tissue as is removed in a ‘tummy tuck’). I have a regular joint list with Plastic Surgeon Michelle Locke, such that when immediate reconstruction is indicated, this can be achieved in a timely manner.