Breast cancer treatment takes a team of doctors, including an oncologist, radiologist, breast surgeon - and now, more often, a plastic surgeon.

Depending on the size of a tumor and the size of the breast, patients can have a tumor removed, still preserve much of their normal breast, and have breast reconstruction surgery during the same operation to minimize the aesthetic deficits in what is known as oncoplastic surgery.

"This is a newer technique, which allows us to employ plastic surgery techniques to make sure the defect to the breast is not as noticeable," Vinod Pathy, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon on the Backus Medical Staff said. "It also saves an extra operating room trip for patients who qualify, which is nice."

He said the Backus Breast Health Patient Navigator Program has been very helpful, because different members of the treatment team meet to go over each patient's treatment plan with a different perspective.

"This is helpful because, from my standpoint, I know what their treatment plan is going to be ahead of time and then I can let the whole team know what type of reconstructive options the patient has and which procedure would work best," Dr. Pathy said. "I think this program is really hitting its stride now."

Dr. Pathy reviews options with his patients, discussing different types of breast reconstruction procedures and what would and would not work in their individual situation.

When a mastectomy is needed there are a variety of options. The two most popular procedures are stretching the skin with temporary tissue expanders and then using implants to create a new breast, or the Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous (TRAM) flap procedure, in which skin, fatty tissue and muscle from the abdomen are used to recreate a breast.

Patients also can choose to have surgery to match their breasts and achieve better symmetry, so that the opposite breast may be reduced, enlarged or lifted to better match the newly created breast. A new nipple and aerola also can be created on the reconstructed breast for an even more natural appearance.

Whether patients decide to have reconstructive surgery at the same time can depend on their treatment plan. For example, a patient undergoing radiation therapy may delay plastic surgery until after the treatment is completed.