FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Women across Central California diagnosed with breast cancer now have greater access to an advanced surgical option.

Breast surgeon Dr. Nicole Gordon and the team at Adventist Health Bakersfield say they were the first in Central California and the second in California and on the West Coast to perform an endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy.

The procedure is a minimally invasive option for treating or preventing breast cancer.

“Ultimately, it’s removal of the tumor, but actually you don’t necessarily need breast cancer to have this operation. If you are a carrier of a gene mutation that significantly increases your risk of developing breast cancer, we can also remove breast tissue to decrease the risk of developing breast cancer. So really what this procedure does is it gives more options to either, A, treat breast cancer or, B, to decrease the risk of developing it,” Dr. Gordon said.

The procedure removes breast tissue while preserving the patient’s nipple.

“But instead of making a large incision big enough to accommodate at least the width of my hand, we can actually make smaller incisions, insert a camera and remove the tissue that way,” Dr. Gordon said.

The procedure offers improved cosmetic outcomes by preserving the skin, nipple and areola, while reducing visible scarring compared with traditional mastectomy techniques.

Gabriela Zilko underwent the procedure after being diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer. She said the results have helped her emotionally during her recovery.

“When I look at myself, I don’t see a huge scar, and that helps me emotionally because I don’t have to think every day of ‘Oh wow, I had cancer.’ It’s not a daily reminder. I can just look in the mirror, and I look like myself,” Zilko said.

Dr. Gordon said the procedure expands access for patients who previously may not have been candidates for a nipple-sparing mastectomy and allows surgeons to treat more patients.

“For a classic nipple sparing mastectomy, it was originally only reserved for patients who had smaller breast size. Okay, maybe an A or B, conventional cups. But now with the larger breasts, you can actually accomplish more through a smaller incision,” Gordon said.

The procedure was previously unavailable in the region, giving more women across Central California access to the advanced surgical option closer to home.

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