Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Next Steps

(VIDEO: Dr. Starr Mautner, M.D., a breast surgeon at Miami Cancer Institute, explains how she approaches new breast cancer diagnoses.)

A diagnosis of breast cancer is usually frightening and unsettling. The explanations, treatment options and a lot of other information presented to patients can be overwhelming to comprehend.

New Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Starr Mautner, M.D., a breast surgeon at Miami Cancer Institute, tailors treatment to each person. Factors that she takes into account with each new breast cancer diagnosis include the patient’s:

• Age
• Family history
• Type of breast cancer
• Risk of developing other cancers

Next Steps

She then determines the type of testing needed, whether it’s an MRI to get a closer look at the tumor site or genetic testing to help determine a patient’s risk of developing other cancers in the future. Then, Dr. Mautner discusses treatment options. The treatment ultimately selected depends on a number of factors, including the stage of the cancer, the patient’s quality of life and how aggressive the patient wants to be in treating their disease.

Finally, Dr. Mautner discusses prevention with her patients, presenting them with options that can help decrease their risk of the breast cancer returning as well as the likelihood of developing other cancers. Some of the prevention tools she discusses with patients include medication, surveillance and surgery.

Watch the video to learn more.