GURGAON: When a 24-year-old woman discovered multiple lumps in her breasts earlier this year, her first fear was cancer. The second was disfigurement. Doctors confirmed the lumps were fibroadenomas, the most common benign breast tumours seen in young women, but advised open surgery with several incisions. With her wedding approaching, the prospect of multiple scars and breast disfigurement left her anxious. This is when she opted for a minimally invasive vacuum-assisted breast surgery, which removes lumps through a tiny 2mm incision. She returned to work in two days and had no visible scar within 10 days.Dr Rohan Khandelwal of CK Birla Hospital, who treated her, said the woman had multiple fibroadenomas, which are non-cancerous but cause anxiety, pain and cosmetic distress. Using the vacuum-assisted technique, we were able to remove all the lumps through a single keyhole incision, with minimal damage to breast contour and milk ducts, which are essential for future breastfeeding.“The technique allows all lumps to be removed through a needle-sized opening, using image guidance and a suction-based probe. It is done as a day-care procedure and causes minimal damage to surrounding tissue,” he added. The patient was discharged the same day, resumed work within 48 hours, and had no visible scar by day 10. She has since fully recovered and gone ahead with her wedding plans. Doctors say such cases highlight the importance of awareness about benign breast diseases, so fear does not delay treatment.Fibroadenomas usually affect women between the ages of 15 and 30 and are linked to hormonal fluctuations. While many remain stable for years and require only observation, doctors say removal is advised when lumps grow rapidly, multiply, cause pain or deformity, or show suspicious features on imaging.“In rare cases, fibroadenomas can evolve into phyllodes tumours, which grow aggressively and may require wide surgical removal. That risk is small, but it is real,” Dr Khandelwal said.Traditional open surgery involves multiple cuts, stitches, hospital stays and weeks of physical and psychological recovery. In comparison, vacuum-assisted surgery offers a safer and minimally invasive alternative.
