Ask the Expert: Emily Siegel, MD, FACS
Q: What do you wish every breast cancer patient knew?
First and foremost, not all cancers are treated the same way. In fact, not all breast cancers are treated the same way. It’s important to remember that your treatment plan may vary from what you read online, or what your friends and family members may have undergone. Differences in care plans don’t mean that someone is being treated incorrectly. Treatment plans should be personalized to every person’s particular cancer.
Q: Can you break down some of the possible treatments?
With breast cancer surgery, one way to think about surgery is to break it into two areas: The breast and the lymph nodes. With the breast, we’ll look at the size of the tumor, the risk of cancer in the remaining tissue, how the cancer presented, and whether radiation is needed. Then the patient and I talk and decide on a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. It’s a complex decision, so I always take time to talk to my patients. It’s important to me that they understand every aspect of their decision.
I may do a lymph node surgery to determine whether cancer has spread beyond the breast. Sometimes, the first step is to remove only the lymph node that is the most likely to have cancer—that’s called the sentinel lymph node, or the guardian of the rest of the nodes. The decision over whether to remove more lymph nodes is, again, something that will involve a thorough discussion with my patient.
Q: What’s the advantage of working with a multidisciplinary team?
You want a complete care plan from specialists who already work together well and communicate easily. At Keck Medicine, all our Breast Center specialists work as a team. I’m a good surgeon, but you won’t only get me. You’ll have the expertise of a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and, depending on your needs, you might work with a reconstructive surgeon or even a genetic counselor. We regularly confer about your case and work with you to design a treatment plan. There’s no worry about transferring records or explaining yourself over and over to each new specialist.
If you’re newly diagnosed, you can even make a single appointment at our Women’s Specialty Multidisciplinary Clinic, see multiple specialists in one day, and walk out with a care plan.
Q: Do patients need to go to the main Keck Medicine campus to get care?
No. We feel strongly that everyone should have access to top-quality care. I spend a lot of my time at our Arcadia clinic for exactly that reason. We also have clinics in Verdugo Hills, in Pasadena, and in Santa Clarita.
Q: What would you say to patients who are nervous about getting screened?
I get it. The first thoughts about breast cancer are scary ones. But catching something early can make a huge difference. If we don’t find anything, you’ll have that peace of mind. If we do, you have our whole team with you every step of the way.
125 West Huntington Drive, Building B, Suite B100
Arcadia, CA 91007
(323) 865-3535
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