Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to learn not only about breast cancer, but also about the medical knowledge and surgical expertise involved in treating it.
At All Saints University, medical students are encouraged to connect what they learn in the classroom with real clinical applications. One example is the presentation “Behind the Incision: Anatomy That Guides Mastectomy,” presented by medical students Adedolapo Adegbite and Favour Obikwelu under the guidance of Dr. Sanjoy Sanyal.
Their presentation explores an important question: How does a surgeon use knowledge of anatomy to guide breast cancer surgery?
Mastectomy Is More Than Removing Breast Tissue
A mastectomy involves the surgical removal of breast tissue and can be an important treatment for breast cancer. However, as the students’ presentation highlights, successful surgery involves much more than simply removing tissue. Surgeons must understand the structures surrounding the breast and carefully navigate them during the procedure.
The breast is an organized anatomical structure. It contains lobules, which produce milk, and ducts that carry milk toward the nipple. It is also supported by fibrous structures called Cooper’s ligaments and lies over the pectoralis major muscle. Blood is supplied through important vessels, including branches associated with the internal and lateral thoracic arteries.
Understanding these structures helps surgeons plan their approach and work precisely.
Why the Lymphatic System Matters
The lymphatic system is particularly important in breast cancer because lymphatic pathways can provide routes through which cancer cells spread.
The presentation explains that much of the breast’s lymphatic drainage travels toward the axillary lymph nodes, which are located in the armpit area. These nodes are organized into different levels and can be important considerations during breast cancer surgery. Lymph from other areas of the breast can also drain toward the parasternal or internal mammary nodes.
This is one example of how a detailed understanding of anatomy can directly inform surgical decision-making.
Protecting Important Nerves
Breast surgery also requires awareness of nerves in and around the surgical field.
The students highlight several important nerves, including the long thoracic nerve, thoracodorsal nerve and intercostobrachial nerve. Injury to these structures can have different consequences, including muscle dysfunction or changes in sensation.
This demonstrates why anatomy is not simply a subject students memorize for an examination. It becomes practical knowledge that can help future physicians understand potential surgical risks and the importance of protecting surrounding structures.
Different Types of Mastectomy
Not every mastectomy is the same. The presentation introduces several types, including:
-
Simple or total mastectomy – removal of the breast
-
Modified radical mastectomy – removal of the breast along with axillary lymph nodes
-
Radical mastectomy – involving the breast, pectoral muscles and lymph nodes
-
Skin-sparing mastectomy – preserves the skin
-
Nipple-sparing mastectomy – preserves the skin and nipple
The choice of surgical approach depends on the clinical situation, and anatomical knowledge plays an important role in understanding each procedure.
From Anatomy Class to Clinical Thinking
The presentation also outlines the general sequence involved in mastectomy, including planning incision lines, dissecting through the relevant tissue layers, identifying critical nerves, removing breast tissue when indicated, checking margins, and planning closure and reconstruction.
For medical students, exercises like this provide an opportunity to move beyond memorizing anatomical structures and begin thinking about how anatomy applies to patient care.
The presentation’s central message is simple: anatomy guides precision. Understanding where structures are located, how they connect, and what functions they serve can help future physicians appreciate the complexity of surgical care.
Continuing to Learn, Understand and Care
Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds us that behind every diagnosis is a patient who may require a multidisciplinary approach to care, including diagnosis, surgery, treatment and recovery.
For medical students, developing a strong foundation in anatomy is one of the first steps toward understanding that care.
At All Saints University, opportunities such as “Behind the Incision: Anatomy That Guides Mastectomy” allow students to explore how foundational medical knowledge connects to important clinical situations.
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we recognize the importance of awareness, education and the future healthcare professionals who are preparing to make a difference in patient care.
Educational content based on the student presentation “Behind the Incision: Anatomy That Guides Mastectomy,” presented by Adedolapo Adegbite and Favour Obikwelu.
Explore the Student Presentation
To complement this article, we invite readers to explore a student presentation on Anatomy That Guides Mastectomy, which examines how anatomical knowledge supports surgical planning and patient care.
Anatomy That Guides Mastectomy – Ade – Favour
Student academic presentation. Shared for educational purposes.
