Orlando breast cancer surgeon discusses new research, treatment and free community event
30% OF ALL NEW FEMALE CANCERS EVERY YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. AND RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE MORE THAN 4 MILLION BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING WOMEN STILL BEING TREATED AND THOSE WHO HAVE COMPLETED TREATMENT THIS MONTH. THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND ALSO AMPLIFY THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE TO HELP THOSE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST CANCER. SO JOINING ME THIS MORNING IS DOCTOR JEFFREY SMITH, A BREAST CANCER SURGEON AT THE ORLANDO HEALTH CANCER INSTITUTE. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE TO TALK ABOUT A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC. HONORED TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. SO, FIRST OF ALL, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RECENTLY RELEASED A NEW REPORT ON A UNIQUE BREAST CANCER SUBTYPE. IT’S CALLED LOBULAR. YOU WERE JUST TELLING ME, CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT THESE FINDINGS SHOW? SURE. SO LOBULAR BREAST CANCER IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON FORM OF BREAST CANCER THAT WE TREAT. IT GETS ITS NAME FROM THE CANCER ARISING FROM WITHIN THE LOBULES, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY THE FUNCTIONAL UNIT OF THE GLANDULAR PART OF THE BREAST TISSUE. NOW, ONE OF THE MANY DIFFICULT THINGS IN TERMS OF TREATING LOBULAR BREAST CANCER IS THAT THESE CANCER CELLS HAVE HAD CHANGES WITHIN SOME OF THE ADHESION MOLECULES THAT CONNECT NORMAL TISSUES TOGETHER. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THESE CANCER CELLS SOMETIMES WILL GROW AND KIND OF OOZE INTO THE TISSUE AROUND IT SUCH THAT THEY’RE NOT CREATING THE TYPICAL MASS THAT IS OFTEN COMMON WITH DUCTAL CANCER, WHICH IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF BREAST CANCER. ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE OF THIS NATURE OF ITS GROWTH, IT’S DIFFICULT TO PICK UP ON STANDARD MAMMOGRAMS. SOMETIMES THE FINDINGS CAN BE VERY SUBTLE AND SOMETIMES MAY NOT BE SEEN AT ALL ON A MAMMOGRAM. AND SO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO TO ALL WOMEN ARE THAT IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING OR THERE’S A CHANGE, OR EVEN IF IT’S A THICKENING OR JUST SOMETHING THAT’S CATCHING YOUR ATTENTION, THAT JUST DOESN’T SEEM QUITE RIGHT, EVEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A QUOTE UNQUOTE NORMAL MAMMOGRAM THAT WE CONSIDER DOING SUPPLEMENTAL OR ADDITIONAL IMAGING, SUCH AS AN ULTRASOUND OR MRI, AND THAT CAN BETTER DETECT THESE LOBULAR CANCERS. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. BOTTOM LINE, IF SOMETHING FEELS WRONG, MAKE SURE YOU TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. I KNOW EVERY DIAGNOSIS IN EVERY CASE CAN VARY, BUT ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES WHEN IT COMES TO BREAST CANCER? SO THE BEST OUTCOMES IN TREATING BREAST CANCER ARE WITH A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM APPROACH. SO THERE’S NO SINGLE TREATMENT THAT IS EFFECTIVE ENOUGH. AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT WE LAYER THESE DIFFERENT TREATMENTS TOGETHER. SO A TEAM THAT A PATIENT MAY OR WOULD WANT TO DEVELOP IN TERMS OF PUTTING FORTH EFFORT TO TRY TO GET THE BEST OUTCOMES, ARE GOING TO INCLUDE A SURGEON, A MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST AND A RADIATION ONCOLOGIST. IN TERMS OF THE TREATMENT SIDE AND THEN KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT VERY SUPPORTIVE. ARE DEDICATED RADIOLOGISTS AND PATHOLOGISTS TO BEST SUPPORT THAT TREATMENT IN TERMS OF GETTING TO THE BEST OUTCOMES. I REMEMBER WHEN MY STEPMOM WAS GOING THROUGH ALL OF HER CANCER DIAGNOSIS WITH BREAST CANCER. IT WAS LIKE A WHOLE TROOP BEHIND HER THAT SUPPORTED HER. WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BREAST CANCER TREATMENT? SO I THINK I THINK THERE’S TWO, TWO ONES THAT I WOULD WANT TO HIGHLIGHT. THE FIRST IS THAT BREAST CANCER IS BEST TREATED WITH A MASTECTOMY, AND THAT’S AN OPERATION WHERE WE COMPLETELY REMOVE THE BREAST. WE’LL WORK TOGETHER WITH A TEAM OF PLASTIC SURGEONS FOR RECONSTRUCTION, AND THAT CAN PROVIDE VERY GOOD OUTCOMES FOR MANY PATIENTS. BUT MOST PATIENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A LESS INVASIVE PROCEDURE CALLED LUMPECTOMY. IN THOSE CASES, WE SAVE THE THE MAJORITY OF THE BREAST TISSUE. WE ULTIMATELY WE WE OFTEN WILL INCORPORATE RADIATION THERAPY TO HELP BETTER SUPPORT THAT. BUT THE COMPARISONS IN STUDIES THAT BEGAN EVEN BACK TO THE 1980S HAVE SHOWN THAT THE LONG TERM OUTCOMES BETWEEN THE TWO OPERATIONS LUMPECTOMY OR MASTECTOMY, ARE EQUIVALENT IN TERMS OF TREATING BREAST CANCER. OH, INTERESTING. AND THEN THE SECOND THING THAT I WOULD THAT I WOULD WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS A SENSE THAT THAT A PATIENT DOESN’T HAVE AGENCY IN THEIR IN THEIR TREATMENT JOURNEY. WE DON’T HAVE THE SMOKING GUN, SO TO SPEAK, WITH BREAST CANCER LIKE LUNG CANCER WHERE SMOKING WE KNOW CIGARETTE SMOKING DIRECTLY LINKS TO BREAST CANCER. THAT’S NOT THE CASE WITH OR WITH LUNG CANCER, BUT THAT’S NOT THE CASE WITH WITH BREAST CANCER. IT’S MULTIFACTORIAL. THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BREAST CANCER. BUT THAT SAID, WE KNOW THAT LIFESTYLE FACTORS GREATLY CAN ENHANCE ONE’S JOURNEY THROUGH TREATMENT. AND SO THAT INCLUDES NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND THEN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MENTAL SUPPORT THROUGH THEIR TREATMENT JOURNEY. DOCTOR SMITH BRIEFLY, BECAUSE I WANT TO GET TO THIS. YOU GUYS ARE HAVING AN EVENT, A FREE RESOURCE FAIR FOR PATIENTS. CAN YOU TELL EVERYONE WHAT’S GOING TO BE GOING ON THERE? AND WHEN IT IS? YEAH. SO IT’S NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST. IT WILL BE HELD AT THE LAKE MARY YMCA. WE’RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT COLLABORATION BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT HIGHLIGHTS OUR DEDICATION TO THINGS LIKE EXERCISE AND COMMUNITY. THE THE EVENT WILL HOST A PANEL OF SOME OF OUR EXPERTS THAT ARE LOCATED AT THE LAKE, AT OUR LAKE MARY CANCER CENTER. OKAY. AND THEN WE’LL ALSO HIGHLIGHT RESOURCES THAT PATIENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND SURVIVORS CAN ACCESS. AND WE’RE GOING TO MAKE SURE WE PUT A LINK WITH ALL OF THAT INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE WESH.COM. SO YOU CAN GET IT THERE AS WELL. THANK YOU S
Orlando breast cancer surgeon discusses new research, treatment and free community event
Updated: 9:28 AM EDT Oct 13, 2025
Breast Cancer Surgeon with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Dr. Jeffery Smith, joins WESH 2 to discuss new research, trends and treatment during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Orlando Health, the J. Douglas Williams YMCA in Lake Mary and community partners will host their annual Breast Decisions event on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 from 5 – 7 p.m.The event will feature a panel of physicians and care experts, coupled with a resource fair to support patients, survivors and their family. The event is free and open to the public. Click here to learn more about Breast Decisions. Click here to learn more about Orlando Health.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Breast Cancer Surgeon with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Dr. Jeffery Smith, joins WESH 2 to discuss new research, trends and treatment during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Orlando Health, the J. Douglas Williams YMCA in Lake Mary and community partners will host their annual Breast Decisions event on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 from 5 – 7 p.m.
The event will feature a panel of physicians and care experts, coupled with a resource fair to support patients, survivors and their family.
The event is free and open to the public.
Click here to learn more about Breast Decisions.
Click here to learn more about Orlando Health.