Breast surgery
Breast surgery covers the operative treatment of both benign and cancerous breast conditions, from removing a fibroadenoma to performing a mastectomy. Most women referred for a breast opinion do not need an operation at all, and establishing that is part of the work.
What a breast surgeon actually does
A breast surgeon assesses breast symptoms, arranges and interprets the right imaging, performs biopsies, and operates when an operation is the correct treatment. A large part of the role is deciding when not to operate.
Most people arrive having found something, a lump, a change in shape, skin or nipple changes, or pain that has not settled. The first task is not surgery. It is establishing what the problem is, accurately and without unnecessary delay.
Triple assessment
Breast problems are assessed using three strands together, because no single strand is reliable on its own:
Clinical examination, history and physical examination.
Imaging, ultrasound, mammography, or both, chosen according to age and the nature of the problem. Younger women usually have ultrasound first, because denser breast tissue makes mammography harder to read.
Tissue sampling, a needle biopsy when imaging or examination raises a question that only tissue can settle.
When all three agree, the answer is reliable. When they disagree, that disagreement is itself important information and is investigated further rather than explained away.
Conditions commonly seen
Breast lumps, both benign and malignant. Fibroadenomas and breast cysts. Breast pain (mastalgia). Nipple discharge. Breast infections and abscesses, including during breastfeeding. Skin and nipple changes. Gynaecomastia in men. Breast cancer at every stage.
Approach
Dr. Mansukhani trained in surgical oncology in Mumbai, where her published research concerned complex cancers of the pancreas and bile ducts. That background shapes how she approaches breast disease: as cancer surgery first, where the oncological plan drives the operation rather than the other way round.
It also shapes how consultations run. Patients are told what is known, what is not yet known, and what the next step will establish, before being asked to agree to anything.
Common questions
Do I need a referral to see a breast surgeon in Dubai?
Not always, this depends on your insurance policy rather than on any rule. Many insurers in the UAE allow direct access to a specialist; some require a referral from a general practitioner first. Check with your insurer before booking.
Will I need surgery if I have a breast lump?
Most likely not. The majority of breast lumps are benign and many need no treatment at all beyond confirming what they are. Surgery is recommended when the diagnosis requires it, when a benign lump is causing symptoms, or when a lump cannot be confidently characterised without removing it.
How long do biopsy results take?
This varies by the type of biopsy and the laboratory. Your surgeon should tell you the expected timeframe at the time the biopsy is taken, and you should feel able to ask.
Still not sure whether it needs looking at?
Most breast changes turn out to be benign. Working out which ones are is what an assessment is for, and the guides here explain what that involves before you go.