Meet the staff who make up the Cambridge Breast Unit.
Administrative team
The administration team work in the main office and reception areas. They are the first point of contact for patients, clients and visitors warmly welcoming them to the Breast Unit, helping with any questions or enquiries and providing up to date information for our symptomatic and breast screening services. They also provide a symptomatic breast clinic appointment booking service. The NHS Breast Screening Programme for the Cambridge and Huntingdon area is also co-ordinated by our friendly team of administrators who can arrange and change appointments.
Breast care nurses
The nurses in the Cambridge Breast Unit consist of Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS). They are fully trained senior nurses who have expert knowledge and experience of breast cancer and its treatment, as well as non-cancerous breast problems and breast screening.
They provide information about your diagnosis, treatment options, specialist care, signposting to additional services offered locally and nationally, and offer emotional support to you throughout your cancer treatment and follow up care. We are a link between the patient and the breast care team and point of contact for you and your family.
As Specialists Nurses we have a wide range of responsibilities within the multidisciplinary team and hold various clinics. We are present at the time of diagnosis of breast cancer providing support, contact information and coordinating your care. We see patients prior to surgery to supply all the information and advice needed for post-operative care, manage wounds and possible complications. Additionally, the Specialist nurses run clinics for patients with new breast concern, breast cancer related lymphoedema, biopsy results and end of treatment clinics.
We work closely with other health care professionals, including surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, physiotherapists, and nurses from other specialities. We also liaise with GPs and Community Nurses to ensure the continuity of care in hospital and at home.
If you have any questions or concerns - no matter how silly you may think they are, please call us on 01223 349884. You can leave your details on our voicemail if there is no one available in the office and we will get back to you as soon as we can (we aim to return all calls within 48 hours)
If you have any problems with your wound at the weekend, please contact your out of hours GP or emergency services
Radiographic team
The radiographic team in the Cambridge Breast Unit consists of radiographers, assistant practitioners and radiographic department assistants (RDAs). We work closely with our multi-disciplinary colleagues to provide high quality diagnostic imaging of all breast conditions, including breast cancer, to enable a prompt and accurate diagnosis to be made.
The role of our radiographers and assistant practitioners is to perform routine mammography imaging and specialist mammography techniques including 3D tomosynthesis, adapting to the varied needs of our patients at all times. A radiographer will also be the continuous point of contact for a patient attending an assessment appointment after breast screening recall, alleviating patient anxiety and ensuring all processes involved are running smoothly.
Our RDAs and all radiographic staff work closely with the Radiology team to provide chaperoning and assistance during procedures, and to support patients during what can be a difficult time.
Our consultant radiographer and advanced practitioner radiographers also perform x-ray and ultrasound-guided procedures, including localisations and biopsies, as part of the radiology team.
Radiologists
We have a team of specialist Consultant Breast Radiologist and Radiographers which you will meet when you come to clinic or for a specialist appointment.
The imaging team interprets 2D, 3D and contrast enhanced mammography, ultrasound, MRI. They perform interventional procedures including ultrasound guided and stereotactic biopsies, drainages and removing small breast lesions.
We are an accredited breast screening service and provide a regional MRI biopsy service and paediatric breast service.
We are actively involved in research. Patients who attend the Cambridge Breast Unit are invited to in many leading UK and international breast research projects. These have and will hopefully continue to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
To keep the highest standards, we perform regular quality improvement and service evaluation audits, adhere to national and international guidelines on breast diagnostics and have inspections to keep standards by UKAS, CQC and the NHS Breast Screening Programme.
We are a leading teaching centre, and have students from Cambridge University attending the breast clinics for observation as well as international fellows wishing to gain expertise in breast cancer imaging.
Surgeons
There are five consultant breast surgeons in the Cambridge Breast Unit.
What do we do?
We work closely with our multi-disciplinary colleagues to provide accurate diagnosis and management of all breast diseases. This includes intractable breast pain, nipple discharge and benign or high risk breast abnormalities; though the majority of our work is dedicated to breast cancer. We also assess and surgically manage patients with a high risk for breast cancer or with a known breast cancer gene mutation.
We run a consultant-led service with support from experienced nurse practitioners and specialist breast care nurses.
What operations are available?
We offer a full range of breast surgery including diagnostic and excision biopsy, wide local excision (lumpectomy), mastectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary node clearance.
Where appropriate, we use advanced oncoplastic techniques to improve cosmesis during breast conserving surgery. We offer all type of therapeutic mammaplasties (reshaping of the breast) and partial breast reconstruction with local flaps (your own tissue). We also offer an immediate or delayed breast reconstruction service using implants or flaps in collaboration with consultant colleagues in plastic surgery when indicated.
The unit has well documented low levels of local recurrence following breast conserving surgery as well as mastectomy.