Kristin Rojas, M.D., FACS, is a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information about breast cancer treatments, surgery and support services available, click here or visit the UHealth blog.
MEET RACHEL MALOVE:
Rachel Malove was just 42 when she received a diagnosis of breast cancer.
āWhen you get that call, itās just shocking,ā says Rachel.
Rachel went to see Kristin Rojas, M.D. FACS, a surgical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, who specializes in a new type of cancer surgery called Nipple Sparing Mastectomy or NSM.
āDoctor, what is NSM and how is it changing breast cancer surgery?ā asks host Pam Giganti.
āThe way I explain that to patients is that if your breast is an orange, we remove the breast tissue, which is the fruit of the orange, and then we leave the peel, which is the skin and includes the nipple. Then we replace the breast tissue that has the cancer with either a temporary or permanent implant or tissue from another part of your body,ā Dr. Rojas says.
Rachel had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, part of Sylvesterās multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
āI do the cancer portion of the operation. At the same time, our plastic surgery colleagues are also present, and perform at least the first phase of the reconstructive portion,ā says Dr. Rojas.
That was followed by 12 weeks of chemotherapy. Today, Rachel is proud to be a part of community events like Dolphins Challenge Cancer that fund cancer research at Sylvester.
āTheyāre not just survivors, weāre all warriors. We fought through this,ā Rachel says.
She hopes her story will encourage others to get their annual mammograms. Rachel is grateful to Dr. Rojas and the entire Sylvester team.
āHer along with the team here, they saved my life,ā says Rachel.
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
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