Spotlight: Jane Hui, MD, educates and collaborates with patients on breast cancer surgery
Many patients come to surgical oncologist Jane Hui, MD, MS, with a list of questions about breast cancer treatment and surgery options. Hui’s work is as much about education as it is about surgery, as she works with patients and fellow breast cancer experts to devise tailored treatment plans that address each individual’s unique diagnosis.
At the Multi-Specialty Breast Cancer Clinic within M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center – Maple Grove and at M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center – Minneapolis, Hui collaborates with medical oncologists to support patients immediately after their diagnosis and provide a personalized care plan. She also serves as an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and is a member of the Masonic Cancer Center, a research environment dedicated to studying cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
We sat down with Hui to learn more about the clinic’s team approach, the importance of patient education, and what’s next in breast cancer surgery.
What is your role in breast cancer treatment?
A surgical oncologist is someone who has trained as a general surgeon and then gone on to complete a two-year fellowship in surgical oncology. We’re responsible for surgically removing the cancer. For patients diagnosed with stage 0 to stage 3 breast cancer, surgery is often a large part of their treatment plan.
I partner closely with medical oncologist Bryan Trottier, MD in Maple Grove, and we both collaborate with a range of experts. In surgery, I collaborate with our plastic surgeons to provide tailored reconstruction for breast cancer patients after surgery. We’re also in close contact with our breast radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and genetic counselors.
How do patients get connected to our multi-specialty clinic?
Most breast cancers are diagnosed via a mammogram and then a biopsy. Once patients receive a breast cancer diagnosis, they can come to our clinic and meet with a surgeon and a medical oncologist at the same time. Our multi-specialty clinic allows patients to set the course for multifaceted treatment, all in one appointment. Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will need both surgery and medication during treatment. I have a unique perspective as a surgeon, and medical oncologists have their own unique perspective. Having specialists in both fields involved from the beginning simplifies the treatment process and makes it easier to tailor care to each patient.
