Article updated: 5/14/2013 10:03 AM

Women have new options for breast cancer surgery

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Rose Ragona, a 51-year-old operations supervisor at O'Hare, was diagnosed with breast cancer and recently had a mastectomy where surgeons saved much of her skin and started reconstruction during the same surgery. "To wake up and just see your breasts there helped me immensely," she said.

Associated Press

Dr. Deanna Attai is one of the researchers in a national study testing cryoablation. The technique uses a probe cooled with liquid nitrogen that turns tumors into ice balls of dead tissue that's gradually absorbed by the body. This has been done since 2004 for benign breast tumors and the clinical trial is aimed at seeing if it's safe for cancer treatment. "The technology is amazing. This is done in the office under local anesthesia, a little skin puncture," Attai said.

Associated Press

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Treating breast cancer almost always involves surgery, and for years the choice was just having the lump or the whole breast removed. Now, new approaches are dramatically changing the way these operations are done, giving women more options, faster treatment, smaller scars, fewer long-term side effects and better cosmetic results.

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