Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Singapore, with surgery still the main method of treatment.
With surgeons skilled in both oncology and reconstructive surgery, breast cancer patients can be sure of a better experience and outcome.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Singapore, with surgery still the main method of treatment.
In Singapore, about 20 per cent of women opt for reconstruction after breast cancer surgery, but numbers are expected to rise with increased awareness of breast cancer and improved surgical options.
Patients seeking post-surgery reconstruction would benefit from a surgeon who is equally adept at tumour resection and breast reconstruction. And soon, they will be able to see one.
Dr Savitha Ramachandran (above), an associate consultant at KKH’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, is undergoing a fellowship programme that prepares her to be a breast onco-plastic specialist.
Initiated by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Breast Centre, a SingHealth Duke-NUS Disease Centre (SDDC), in collaboration with SGH Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the two-year fellowship puts plastic surgeons and breast surgeons through training with mentors in oncological surgery and vice versa.
“This kind of cross-training across medical institutions is one of the key benefits afforded by the SDDC.”
The dual training means Dr Savitha will be able to see patients that require both types of surgery, saving them an extra visit to the hospital. She will also be able to make better-placed incisions during surgery, leading to better wound care, lower risk of complications and less obvious scarring without compromising cancer outcome.
She said, “The end-result is better physical outcome and an overall improvement in the patient’s psycho-social healing. Having training in both specialties will lead to better decision-making for the patient.”
An associate consultant since 2015, Dr Savitha embarked on this fellowship after having completed four years of advanced surgical training in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Over time, she also developed an interest in breast oncological surgery because it complements her preferred field of reconstructive microsurgery. After all, during a breast cancer surgery she usually takes over after the cancer surgeon does his part.
So when Dr Ong Kong Wee, head of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Breast Centre, tipped her off about the fellowship, asking if she would like to further her training in oncological resections, she was stoked.
Dr Savitha became the SDDC’s first breast onco-plastic fellow, starting her training in April 2016. She had contemplated pursuing a similar fellowship overseas, but most of them are just a year long, whereas the SDDC’s fellowship calls for a two-year commitment and is conducted in a local setting by SingHealth doctors, which she finds more comprehensive and relevant.
“The end-result is better physical outcome and an overall improvement in the patient’s psycho-social healing. Having training in both specialties will lead to better decision-making for the patient.”
It offers her a full year of training with Singapore General Hospital’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive surgery followed by a year with the National Cancer Centre Singapore’s Department of Surgical Oncology .
“This kind of cross-training across medical institutions is one of the key benefits afforded by the SDDC.”
“I’m really glad I took up this opportunity. It seemed almost tailor-made for me – it’s a reassuring sign that I’m travelling on the right path,” said Dr Savitha.
###
The Breast SDDC onco-plastic surgery fellowship is open to surgeons who have completed residencies in plastic surgery or general surgery, and intend to sub-specialise in breast oncological surgery and reconstruction. The Centre is aiming to train a maximum of 2 onco-plastic specialists each year.
