At UPMC, we care about you, and we know that when it comes to treating breast cancer, no two cases are alike.
Our doctors consider all factors when creating a treatment plan that is right for you. They consider the type and stage of your cancer, your treatment goals, and your overall health.
The breast care specialists at UPMC have access to a wide range of treatment tools, including the latest surgical approaches, medications, and radiation therapies to help you achieve the best possible outcome.
What Are Breast Health Services?
Breast care services include screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for all breast-related issues.
Our services are available for men and women with all types and stages of breast cancer and other noncancerous conditions of the breasts.
Who’s Eligible for Breast Health Services?
If you need screening, diagnostic, treatment, or follow-up care for a benign or cancerous breast condition, you may be eligible for breast care services.
What Breast Health Services Do We Offer?
Our team offers a full range of breast care services, including:
Breast imaging
Our board-certified and fellowship-trained breast radiologists have expertise in reading diagnostic and screening breast imaging studies, as well as performing minimally invasive breast biopsies in all imaging modalities. We offer breast imaging services for men and women.
Breast imaging procedures we offer include:
- Breast MRI — A breast MRI is a safe, noninvasive imaging test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to provide highly detailed pictures of breast tissue — without radiation exposure.
- Breast ultrasound — Ultrasound imaging uses high-frequency sound waves to produce real-time pictures of breast tissue.
- Digital breast tomosynthesis (3D mammography) — 3D mammograms take many pictures of your breast tissue using a series of x-ray image slices, much like a CT scan. They provide clear, detailed, 3D pictures to help your doctor detect breast cancer.
- Full-field digital mammography — A digital mammogram is a safe, noninvasive x-ray of your breast tissue that creates images that are stored on a computer.
- MRI-guided breast biopsies — Uses MRI guidance to precisely locate suspicious areas of breast tissue so they can be removed to check for signs of cancer.
- Stereotactic breast biopsies — Uses mammography guidance to precisely locate suspicious areas of breast tissue so they can be removed to check for signs of cancer.
- Ultrasound-guided breast biopsies — Uses ultrasound guidance to precisely locate suspicious areas of breast tissue so they can be removed to check for signs of cancer.
Surgical oncology for breast cancer
Surgery is a common treatment for breast cancer and other benign (noncancerous) breast tumors. At UPMC, our dedicated breast surgeons use highly specialized technology and minimally invasive techniques to remove all types of breast tumors.
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer or another type of benign breast tumor, your breast surgeon may recommend:
- Lumpectomy — Also known as breast-conserving surgery or a partial mastectomy, lumpectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the part of the breast with a cancerous tumor and some healthy surrounding tissue.
- Mastectomy — A surgical procedure to remove the entire breast. When both breasts are removed, it is known as a double mastectomy.
Our team also performs lymph node surgical procedures to determine whether cancer has spread and tumor localization procedures to mark the tumor site before a breast biopsy.
Our breast surgical oncologists work closely with radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and plastic surgeons specializing in breast reconstruction to coordinate additional treatments and care.
Hidden scar™ surgery
UPMC is one of only two Centers of Excellence for Hidden Scar surgery in Pennsylvania.
Hidden scar breast cancer surgery is an advanced technique that allows breast surgeons to remove cancerous tissue through a single incision in an inconspicuous area to minimize visible scarring. In many cases, hidden scar surgery allows surgeons to preserve a natural-looking breast by sparing the nipple, areola, and surrounding tissue.
Medical oncology for breast cancer
Medical oncology for breast cancer involves using different types of anti-cancer medications to slow or stop breast cancer growth. Medical oncology treatments may include:
- Chemotherapy — Uses medications that travel through your bloodstream and kill cancer cells throughout your body.
- Hormone therapy — Slows or stops cancer growth by preventing hormones from attaching to the breast cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy — Uses medications to boost your immune system’s ability to identify and kill cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy — Works similarly to antibodies produced naturally by your immune system to identify and attack cancer cells.
Medical oncology treatment may be administered before or after surgery, or as a long-term treatment to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.
Radiation oncology for breast cancer
Radiation oncology is a medical specialty that uses radiation therapy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy for breast cancer involves using high-energy x-rays to precisely target a tumor. It may be used alone or in combination with other treatments to effectively treat breast cancer.
Radiation oncology treatment options for breast cancer include:
- Accelerated partial breast radiation — Delivers radiation to only the area surrounding the tumor, where breast cancer is most likely to recur. Types of accelerated partial breast radiation include intracavitary breast radiation, MammoSite®, Contura®, and SAVI®.
- Breast brachytherapy — A type of internal radiation therapy (high-dose rate brachytherapy) that is used after lumpectomy. At UPMC, we use the SAVI® brachytherapy system, which employs multiple catheters to deliver radiation with extreme precision. Not only does the SAVI device spare more healthy tissue from unnecessary radiation, but it also customizes the radiation dose to the patient’s specific anatomy.
- External beam radiation — Special machines administer a high dose of radiation directly to the cancer site. Types of external beam radiation include image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
- Hypofractionated (short-course) breast radiation — Delivers radiation in a four-week course, instead of a six-week course, for select patients.
Breast reconstruction
Your breast reconstruction plan to restore the appearance of your breast after surgery may include immediate reconstruction done at the same time as your breast cancer surgery or delayed reconstruction performed later.
Breast reconstruction options may include:
- Breast reconstruction using implants — Uses saline or silicone gel implants to restore breast shape and size.
- Breast reconstruction using tissue from your body (flap procedures) — Uses tissue from your abdomen, back, thighs, or buttocks to rebuild your breast.
- Nipple and areola reconstruction — Uses various techniques such as tattooing or tissue reconstruction to match the new nipple to your natural one.
- Oncoplastic surgery — Combines cancer and plastic surgery techniques to reshape your breast after a lumpectomy, often at the same time as your breast cancer surgery.
Supportive services for breast cancer
Supportive services for people with breast cancer address concerns beyond the physical effects of the disease.
Supportive services include:
- Behavioral medicine — Psychologists and psychiatrists can help you create a plan for coping with the challenges of breast cancer.
- Breast cancer pain management — Pain management experts will work with your care team to relieve pain from breast cancer treatment.
- Holistic treatment — Our integrative medicine experts offer conventional and complementary therapies to help people with breast cancer manage symptoms and optimize health.
- Interpreter services — Interpreters help patients with language barriers understand and navigate the cancer treatment process.
- Nutrition for breast cancer — Our diet and nutrition experts design meal plans to help you regain strength or support your health.
- Nurse navigation — Nurse navigators remove barriers that stand in the way of your treatment, such as transportation and childcare issues or treatment-related problems with your employer or insurance company.
- Palliative care — Palliative care can be delivered alongside curative treatments or after treatments have stopped to improve quality of life for people with breast cancer.
- Social support — Social workers can help you manage the practical aspects of living with breast cancer.
Clinical trials for breast cancer
UPMC experts participate in national, multicenter clinical trials studying promising medical, surgical, and radiation oncology treatments for breast cancer.
That means you can participate in research that has the potential to advance breast cancer care and access groundbreaking treatments years before they are available to the public. Your doctor will let you know if a clinical trial may be an option for you.
What Can I Expect?
Our specialists work closely to evaluate your breast cancer and determine the best course of treatment based on:
- The stage of your breast cancer, if it has spread, and to what extent.
- Your prognosis.
- Your tumor size.
- Your type of breast cancer.
We also take into consideration your individual choices and encourage you to play an active role in deciding and planning your breast cancer treatment.
Why Choose UPMC for Breast Health?
When you choose UPMC for breast cancer care, you will receive:
- Comprehensive breast cancer expertise — The breast cancer experts at UPMC provide state-of-the-art care for every form of breast cancer at every stage of the disease.
- Personalized, collaborative care — Our surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists work together to plan the best course of therapy for you.
- Supportive services tailored to your needs — Our approach to breast cancer care honors your preferences by blending advanced clinical methods with supportive services for the best possible results.
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-09-18.
