Cancer surgeon and cancer researcher Jana De Boniface goes to work every day to figure out how much needs to be removed during breast cancer surgery in order to survive and be able to live a quality life afterward.
Listen to her on the Glöd podcast where she talks about the research project Less is more. Additionally, she describes her research on exercise as a possible way to reduce surgical procedures.
Both survival and quality of life
We want to try to carry out more precise interventions to spare patients from annoying side effects. But we need to know that it is safe, says Jana de Boniface, a breast cancer surgeon at Capio St. Joran Hospital and a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet.
Breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit, and in the past, just to be safe, the surgeon removed a larger number of lymph nodes in case the first lymph nodes in the armpit (called gatekeepers) contained metastases.
In the new study, the researchers can demonstrate that survival is not negatively affected by leaving most of the lymph nodes in the armpit, even if this means that metastases may remain there.
The podcast also features Emily von Hofsten, the creative and fashion designer who runs the @EmvonHofsten Instagram account. She talks about her experience with breast cancer surgery.
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