Breast Surgery Services

Our Breast Surgery Services team provides diagnostic and therapeutic care and treatment to approximately 500,000 patients within the Bradford area with a suspected disorder of the breast.

It also acts as a tertiary referral centre for the neighbouring areas of Airedale, Dewsbury, Halifax and Huddersfield for patients requiring diagnostic breast screening and breast reconstruction.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust currently offers a wide range of breast reconstruction techniques including  free flap reconstruction and implant reconstruction, with or without the use of an acellular dermal matrix (ADM) or mesh.

Patients without breast symptoms who have concerns about a family history of breast cancer can be referred to the service for professional advice and support.

A team of specialist staff provides support to patients diagnosed with breast problems before, during and after treatment.

A weekly prosthetic fitting service is also available.

Close links exist with other specialist services, including radiology, pathology, plastic surgery, oncology, clinical genetics and palliative care.

Outpatient services are provided in a dedicated diagnostic outpatient facility, the Dales Suite, located on level 2, area 8, of the Horton Wing at St Luke’s Hospital.

Patients requiring further assessment after attending for screening mammography are invited to appointments at our Pennine Suite, located directly opposite our Dales Suite.

If you have a new breast symptom you should contact your GP immediately who will arrange for you to be seen in one of the five weekly symptomatic breast clinics held in the Dales Unit, area 8, level 2, at St Luke’s Hospital. This appointment will provide you with the opportunity to meet a consultant breast surgeon who will assess and advise on your symptoms and any treatment if required.

If you have attended for a recent breast screening x-ray (mammogram) you may be invited for a further assessment appointment. An invitation letter will be sent to attend an appointment within the Pennine Breast Screening Unit at St Luke’s Hospital (adjacent to the Dales Unit).

At this appointment you will meet with a consultant breast radiologist and breast care nurse specialist, who will advise you on the reason for your second appointment and any further x-rays, ultrasound scans and tests required.

If you have a family history of breast cancer, your GP can refer you to the family history clinic for specialist advice and assessment. During this consultation you will meet with a consultant breast surgeon to discuss your current, known family history and a clinical breast examination will be performed.

The team will then assess your risks utilising screening tools recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and will advise you of your current risk status in comparison to age-matched members of the general population.

If you have a high risk of breast cancer a referral to the Regional Genetics Service, based in Leeds, will be requested.

If you have a moderate risk the assessing surgeon will discuss your eligibility for screening breast imaging and the intervals of these assessments and will enrol you into the family history surveillance programme.

If you have a low or equal risk to that of aged-matched members of the public, we will advise you on how to monitor for new breast symptoms and provide a summary of the family history recommendations to your GP.

Your visit to the breast clinic may take several hours so that all the necessary tests can be carried out. The order in which the tests are done will vary between clinics.

You may want to take a friend or relative with you for company or support. However, they won’t usually be allowed in areas such as x-ray rooms.

A doctor or specialist nurse, experienced in diagnosing and treating breast problems, will usually see you first. You will be asked to fill in a short questionnaire including questions about any family history of breast problems, any medication you’re taking, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or the contraceptive pill, or any previous breast surgery (including breast implants).

This will be followed by a breast examination, where the doctor or nurse will check both your breasts. The examination involves looking at and feeling both breasts when you are sitting and when you are lying down. As part of the examination, it’s usual to examine the lymph nodes (glands) under your arm.

You may then need to have further tests. These will usually include one or more of the following:

• mammogram (breast x-ray)
• ultrasound scan

If an abnormality is felt in the breast or axilla (underarm) examination, or seen on the ultrasound or mammogram of the breast, your doctor may perform one or two tests:

• A fine needle aspiration (FNA) which involves taking one or more samples of breast cells or cells from the gland under your arm, known as lymph nodes, using a fine needle and syringe.
• A core biopsy which uses a larger needle to obtain a sample (sometimes several samples) of breast tissue from the area of concern. Tissue is taken rather than cells because it gives more detailed information.

A local anaesthetic will be used before these procedures to keep you comfortable during the tests making the skin numb.

Not everyone will have an FNA or core biopsy. It depends on your symptoms or the findings from your mammogram and/or ultrasound scan.

We want to ensure you are kept fully informed throughout your visit of the reasons for any tests and investigations. Please feel free to ask questions during your visit if you are at all uncertain about any aspect of the treatment.

If you require an FNA or core biopsy you will be advised of the expected timing of these results before you leave the clinic. You will be given contact details for the breast care specialist nursing team and you are welcome to contact them if you have any further questions or concerns.

Appointment cancellations

If you are unable to attend your planned appointment please contact:

• Breast reception – for all patients referred to The Dales Unit with a new breast symptom.

Telephone 01274 365330/36574/365063/365844 and arrangements can be made to re-book your appointment to the next available breast clinic:

• Breast screening main reception – for all patients invited to a further appointment after your screening breast x-ray (mammogram).

Telephone 01274 365525 and arrangements can be made to re-book your appointment.

Information for patients having breast surgery
Information following treatment for patients with early breast cancer
An introduction to the breast multidisciplinary team

Breast Cancer Care
Telephone: 0808 800 6000

Macmillan Cancer Support
Telephone: 0808 808 00 00

Bosom Friends
A local patient-led support group which meets at 7pm on the third Wednesday in the month at the Cancer Support Centre, Daisy House Farm, 44 Smith Lane, Bradford, BD9 6DA.

For further information please visit Bosom Friends’ Facebook page or website.

Bradford Cancer Support
Telephone: 01274 776688

Breast Cancer Haven (Yorkshire Support Centre)
Telephone: 0113 2847829

Telephone
Pennine Breast Screening Unit: 01274 365525.
Breast surgeons: 01274 365734/365063/365844.
Breast care nurse specialists: 01274 365190.

The Breast Symptomatic Outpatient Service: The Dales Unit
Level 2, Area 8, Horton Wing
St Luke’s Hospital
Bradford
BD5 0NA

Breast Screening Services: The Pennine Breast Screening Unit
Level 2, Area 8, Horton Wing
St Luke’s Hospital
Little Horton Lane
Bradford
BD5 ONA

Medical and Clinical Oncology: Outpatients West Department
Bradford Royal Infirmary
Duckworth Lane
Bradford
BD9 6RJ

Monday – Friday 09.00 – 17.00

The team is made up of a group of dedicated healthcare professionals with specific skills in managing and treating breast symptoms and disease.

Breast surgeons
Our breast surgeons are specially-trained doctors who provide surgical treatment to patients with breast disease. If you have a new breast problem, your GP will refer you to a breast surgeon for assessment of your symptoms.

Breast surgeons carry out operations to remove breast cancer and breast reconstruction.

Telephone contacts: 01274-365844 or 365734 or 365063.

Mr Rick Linforth – Consultant Breast Surgeon
Mr Mohammed Salhab – Consultant Breast Surgeon and Clinical Lead
Miss Catherine Tait – Associate Breast Specialist Surgeon and Multi-Disciplinary Team Lead

Consultant plastic surgeon
Our plastic surgeon has specific skills in providing breast reconstruction after preventative breast cancer surgery and following treatment for breast cancer.

Mr Andrew Williams – Consultant Plastic Surgeon

Consultant breast radiologists
These specially-trained doctors interpret x-rays, mammograms and special scans from which a diagnosis is made. They are also experts in carrying out diagnostic tests.

Dr Gemma Smith – Consultant Radiologist and Director of Breast Screening Services
Dr Paul Burrows – Consultant Radiologist
Dr Anne Marie Wason – Consultant Radiologist
Dr Dalibor Grucic – Consultant Radiologist
Dr Shazia Khan – Consultant Radiologist
Dr Simon Dennis – Consultant Radiologist

Breast radiographers
Our team of professionals are skilled in performing breast x-rays (mammograms) and breast ultrasound, and use specialised equipment to produce images which help diagnose breast disease.

Mrs Leah Richardson – Acting Superintendent of Breast Screening Services
Mrs Sarah Alexander – Deputy Superintendent of Breast Screening Services

Pathologists
These doctors are experts in looking at cancer cells under a microscope and working out how they might behave to guide decisions on treatment.

Dr Pauline Carder – Consultant Histopathologist
Dr Julian Ostrowski – Consultant Histopathologist

Medical oncologists
These doctors specialise in delivering non-surgical treatments for breast cancer including chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Dr Chris Bradley – Consultant Medical Oncologist
Dr Shazza Rehman – Consultant Medical Oncologist

Telephone: 01274-364095

Clinical oncologist
A clinical oncologist specialises particularly in x-ray-based treatment for breast cancer (radiotherapy) and may also have experience in chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Dr Emma Thomas – Consultant Clinical Oncologist

Telephone: 0113-2067822

Breast care nurse specialists
Our breast care nurse specialists are experts in the care and support of patients with breast problems.

They provide essential information to help you understand your treatment and will support you during your future treatment.

Our nurses will also advise you on practical issues and help with problems associated with your treatment. They can also talk to other members of the multi-disciplinary team on your behalf if you wish, and will guide you through your continuing follow-up care.

Mrs Mandy Blackburn – Breast Care Nurse Specialist
Mrs Kathryn Kitchen – Breast Care Nurse Specialist
Mrs Sakina Iqbal – Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist
Mrs Lorraine Newton – Breast Care Nurse Specialist

Telephone: 01274-365190

Breast screening nurse specialist

Mrs Kathryn Hodgson – Breast Screening Nurse Specialist

Telephone: 01274-365526

Breast care co-ordinator
This is a professional who seeks to improve the communication of patients with their named clinical nurse specialist and were possible advice and support with non-nursing enquiries.

The breast care co-ordinator has a special interest in the prosthetic service and can assist with enquiries relating to the booking of breast prosthetics and issues relating to orders placed and deliveries.

She has undertaken additional training in bra and prosthetic fitting enabling her to assist patients who cannot attend the weekly timetabled prosthesis clinic sessions.

Mrs Sandra Stewart

Telephone: 01274-365190

Breast clinical research nurse
This nurse identifies patients who are eligible for research studies, provides patients and their families with information about research, co-ordinates treatment and supports patients whilst they are taking part.

Mrs Helen Robertshaw

Telephone: 01274-383435