Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is expanding surgical options for patients undergoing treatment or risk reducing procedures for breast cancer through the adoption of robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy at its Minnesota and Florida campuses. Following recent Food and Drug Administration approval of the use of this platform and device for these procedures, Mayo Clinic surgeons are now offering a minimally invasive approach designed to improve cosmetic outcomes, preserve skin and nipple viability, and broaden opportunities for potential sensory restoration.
Nipple-sparing mastectomy preserves the nipple-areolar complex and healthy breast skin, creating a more natural appearing reconstructed breast after reconstruction. The improved cosmetic result can offer meaningful psychological benefits for patients compared with traditional mastectomy. Many patients, however, continue to experience visible scarring, diminished or absent sensation in the breast and nipple, and risk of loss of nipple or skin due to low blood flow.
The robotic approach provides a way to address some of these challenges by enabling a small, lateral incision, gentle tissue retraction with gas insufflation, and enhanced visualization of the surgical field. Mayo Clinic surgeons also are integrating sensory restoring procedures in some cases, including neurotization (reinnervation) of the nipple-areolar complex, to help patients regain protective sensation of their reconstructed breasts.
"When we remove the breast tissue and keep the envelope of the breast skin and nipple, it provides the most natural-appearing breast from a cosmetic standpoint," says Mara Piltin, D.O., a surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. "The next step is to improve the process so that patients regain feeling in their breasts and are not constantly seeing scars that remind them of their cancer journey. It will positively impact their sexual health, self-image and recovery."
Mayo Clinic continues to lead in NSM innovation, consistently refining surgical techniques and expanding clinical trials to enhance patient outcomes. Jeffrey E. Johnson, M.D., a surgical oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, explains, "At Mayo Clinic, our goal is to ensure that more patients can benefit from innovations that support not only their physical recovery but also their emotional well-being so every patient can move forward with confidence and hope."
