The pictures above were taken before and after surgery to create a new breast with a DIEP operation using spare skin and fat from the tummy. This operation takes about 6 hours to perform and does not need a breast implant. The new breast does not change if radiotherapy is required afterwards. There is however a 5% chance that the new breast may not keep the blood supply that is connected using microsurgery with a microscope. If this happens a breast implant may be used to make a new breast. Please note that this procedure is not fully funded by insurers and there will be a shortfall to pay.

You may also have surgery to the other breast, if you wish, to get a more even appearance. Nipple reconstruction is also performed. All this extra surgery can be performed at the same time or, as is more common, it is done a few months later to give the best results in the end.

You will be offered a chance to see photographs and meet a patient if you wish. Please note that most insurers do not cover the full cost of a DIEP tummy flap breast reconstruction and a shortfall will result. Please ask for details.

Complimentary Therapy

Mr Uppal has a holistic approach to support you at each step of your treatment. This can be an exhausting process but we will ensure that we listen to you and try and help where we can. We recommend that you consider complimentary therapies as provided by The Haven, free of charge.

Lymphoedema treatment

Swelling of the arm can occur after surgery or radiotherapy as part of treatment for breast cancer. This is called Lymphoedema. In some cases this can be a devastating condition that is difficult to live with and is upsetting for many patients. You will be given the chance to see a Lymphoedema specialist nurse who will help you with compression garments and massage treatments.

Although there is no guaranteed surgical cure for this condition, Mr Uppal can assess you to see if you are suitable for lymph node transfer at the same time as your DIEP flap. Scar release may also help, but this surgery needs to be planned with the whole breast care team. Some patients do get benefit however and so it is worth discussing.

Breast Cancer Treatment

Our Treatment Approach…
We customize your breast cancer care so you receive the most-advanced, least-invasive treatments with the fewest side effects. In addition to treatments you might find at most breast cancer centres, we offer specialized therapies available at only a few centres in the nation.

Because Mr Uppal and his team are committed to giving you excellent breast cancer care. We’re able to provide a wide range of therapies, including:

Multi-cycle, dose-intensive chemotherapy
Novel therapies
Accelerated partial breast irradiation
Bone-directed treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bones
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery
Immediate or delayed breast reconstruction
We have the expertise to examine each breast cancer tumour carefully to determine gene-expression profiles, which then guide us toward the most effective, gentlest treatment targeted specifically to the cancer. This personalized medicine approach sets us above and beyond most cancer centres and allows us to attack the specific causes of each breast cancer for the optimal outcome.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, we’re here to help. Call us to make an appointment or request an appointment online.

Make Your First Appointment

Why Choose Mr Uppal and his team?

Advanced breast cancer treatments including targeted therapies, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and sentinel node biopsy
Least-invasive breast cancer procedures, including breast-sparing surgery
Range of breast reconstruction techniques
Genetic counselling for women at risk of breast cancer
Nationally known research program with numerous clinical trials.
Triple-negative breast cancer is part of
Breast Cancer Nurses
News and Articles
Videos
Education Resources
Treatment in Windsor or London

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will talk to you about the best options for treating it. Your treatment will be customized especially for you, and it may include one or more of the following therapies.

Surgery

Like all surgeries, breast cancer surgery is most successful when performed by a specialist with a great deal of experience in the particular procedure. Mr Uppal and the team of breast cancer surgeons are among the most skilled and renowned in the world. They perform a large number of surgeries for breast cancer each year, using the least-invasive and most-effective techniques. When reconstructive surgery is needed, Mr Uppal will use the most advanced procedures with extraordinary skill.

Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. Procedures may include:

Mastectomy: This surgery removes one or both breasts. The entire breast is removed, along with any affected lymph nodes. In about 80% of mastectomies, breast reconstruction or implant surgery is done during the same procedure, after the breast is removed.

Breast-sparing surgery is an attempt to save as much healthy breast tissue as possible. These procedures are best for treating early stage (I and II) breast cancer. Breast-sparing techniques include:

Lumpectomy: The tumour and a small margin of healthy breast tissue are removed.

Partial mastectomy: The tumour is removed, along with a margin of healthy breast tissue. The lining of the chest muscles and any affected lymph nodes under the arm are removed also.

Breast reconstruction: using either breast implants or tissue from your abdomen or other parts of your body, the surgeon can recreate a breast either during the cancer surgery (immediate reconstruction) or after surgery (delayed reconstruction). Learn more with our guide to breast reconstruction.

Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells. New radiation therapy techniques and remarkable skill allow doctors to target tumours more precisely, delivering the maximum amount of radiation with the least damage to healthy cells.

Two main types of radiation treatment are used for breast cancer:

External beam radiation: The beams are aimed at the tumour from outside the body.

Internal radiation: Tiny plastic tubes filled with radioactive material are implanted in the breast at the tumour site. They are removed after several days. This procedure requires a hospital stay.

Radiotherapy treatments available include:

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI)
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Women who have breast-sparing surgery and/or mastectomy may receive radiation afterwards to destroy any lingering breast cancer cells. Radiation also can be used before surgery to shrink large tumours or to treat tumours in a difficult location.

Chemotherapy

In breast cancer, chemotherapy most often is given before or after surgery. It also may be the main treatment for cancer that has spread outside the breast.
We offer the most up-to-date and effective chemotherapy options for breast cancer. Our experts helped develop many drugs now used as standard care at other centres, as well as novel approaches to administer them.

Evidence shows that chemotherapy can be safe to treat breast cancer after the first trimester of pregnancy. Recently advanced have pioneered the use of chemotherapy before surgery to shrink breast cancer tumours, reducing damage to surrounding tissue.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy sometimes helps prevent female hormones (oestrogen, progesterone and oestradiol) from fuelling the growth of breast cancer. Hormone therapy can involve taking drugs by mouth or through an IV. Tamoxifen® is an example of a hormone therapy drug. Surgery to remove the ovaries in women who have not yet reached menopause is another type of hormone therapy.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapies are drug treatments that help the body’s immune system fight cancer. Herceptin® is a type of biologic therapy that targets cells that produce too much of a protein called HER2. This protein is present in some breast cancer patients. Herceptin binds to the cells, shutting off HER2 production.

Our Breast Cancer Clinical Trials

To find out more about clinical trials for breast cancer, visit us or speak to your doctor.

Multi-cycle, dose-intensive chemotherapy with access to stem cell transplants if needed
Novel therapies, including targeted biologic agents
Accelerated partial breast irradiation
Bone-directed treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bones
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery
Immediate or delayed breast reconstruction
We have the expertise to examine each breast cancer tumour carefully to determine gene-expression profiles, which then guide us toward the most effective, gentlest treatment targeted specifically to the cancer. This personalized medicine approach sets us above and beyond most cancer centres and allows us to attack the specific causes of each breast cancer for the optimal outcome.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, we’re here to help. Call us to make an appointment or request an appointment online.

Why Choose Mr Uppal?

Advanced breast cancer treatments including targeted therapies, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and sentinel node biopsy
Least-invasive breast cancer procedures, including breast-sparing surgery
Range of breast reconstruction techniques
Genetic counselling for women at risk of breast cancer
Nationally known research program with numerous clinical trials.

Our Breast Cancer Treatments

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will talk to you about the best options for treating it. Your treatment will be customized especially for you, and it may include one or more of the following therapies.

Surgery

Like all surgeries, breast cancer surgery is most successful when performed by a specialist with a great deal of experience in the particular procedure. Mr Uppal and the breast cancer surgeons are skilled in many techniques and have gained experience from renowned doctors across the world. They perform a large number of surgeries for breast cancer each year, using the least-invasive and most-effective techniques. If reconstructive surgery is needed, our experts use the most advanced procedures with extraordinary skill.

Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. Procedures may include:

Mastectomy: This surgery removes one or both breasts. The entire breast is removed, along with any affected lymph nodes. In about 80% of mastectomies, breast reconstruction or implant surgery is done during the same procedure, after the breast is removed.

Breast-sparing surgery is an attempt to save as much healthy breast tissue as possible. These procedures are best for treating early stage (I and II) breast cancer. Breast-sparing techniques include:

Lumpectomy: The tumour and a small margin of healthy breast tissue are removed.

Partial mastectomy: The tumour is removed, along with a margin of healthy breast tissue. The lining of the chest muscles and any affected lymph nodes under the arm are removed also.

Breast reconstruction:
using either breast implants or tissue from your abdomen or other parts of your body, Mr Uppal can recreate a breast either during the cancer surgery (immediate reconstruction) or after surgery (delayed reconstruction). Learn more when you come and see us so we can give you our guide to breast reconstruction.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy beams to destroy cancer cells. New radiation therapy techniques and remarkable skill allow the doctors to target tumours more precisely, delivering the maximum amount of radiation with the least damage to healthy cells.

Two main types of radiation treatment are used for breast cancer:

External beam radiation: The beams are aimed at the tumour from outside the body.

Internal radiation: Tiny plastic tubes filled with radioactive material are implanted in the breast at the tumour site. They are removed after several days. This procedure requires a hospital stay.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Women who have breast-sparing surgery and/or mastectomy may receive radiation afterwards to destroy any lingering breast cancer cells. Radiation also can be used before surgery to shrink large tumours or to treat tumours in a difficult location.

Chemotherapy

In breast cancer, chemotherapy most often is given before or after surgery. It also may be the main treatment for cancer that has spread outside the breast.
We offer the most up-to-date and effective chemotherapy options for breast cancer. Our experts helped develop many drugs now used as standard care at other centres, as well as novel approaches to administer them.

There is evidence that chemotherapy can be safe to treat breast cancer after the first trimester of pregnancy. And we can offer chemotherapy before surgery to shrink breast cancer tumours, reducing damage to surrounding tissue.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy sometimes helps prevent female hormones (estrogen, progesterone and estradiol) from fueling the growth of breast cancer. Hormone therapy can involve taking drugs by mouth or through an IV. Tamoxifen® is an example of a hormone therapy drug. Surgery to remove the ovaries in women who have not yet reached menopause is another type of hormone therapy.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapies are drug treatments that help the body’s immune system fight cancer. Herceptin® is a type of biologic therapy that targets cells that produce too much of a protein called HER2. This protein is present in some breast cancer patients. Herceptin binds to the cells, shutting off HER2 production.

The Breast Cancer Clinical Trials we’re able to offer include clinical trials of new treatments for every type and stage of breast cancer.

To find out more about clinical trials for breast cancer, visit the clinic or speak to your doctor.