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Madison Surgical Clinic

After 25 years in group practice, Dr. Edwards started his own clinic, Madison Surgical Clinic at 379 Hospital Boulevard. He provides general, laparoscopic, vascular and general thoracic surgery at Regional Hospital of Jackson.

Dr. Edwards was the first surgeon in West Tennessee to treat invasive cancer with lumpectomy, auxiliary dissection and radiation. Today he treats his breast cancer patients with lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy and radiation.

For an appointment, contact the clinic at 731.660.6101.





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Stereotactic needle biopsy easier for patient

Dr. Tom Edwards and Jackie McAdams, a certified mammography technician get ready to perform a stereotactic needle biopsy to check for cancer in a patient’s breast. Dr. Edwards and McAdams did the first sterotactic biopsy together in 1996 in the same room, above. The technology to do the biopsy has much improved.

Dr. Tom Edwards was surprised when he heard about a study showing Florida surgeons may be operating too much when a breast biopsy was needed to determine the presence of breast cancer in a patient. He knew this was not the case in Jackson where surgeons routinely use a less invasive approach — a stereotactic needle biopsy.

“When reports like this are on the news, Internet and in the papers, people get nervous and question their care,” said Edwards, who has been practicing general and vascular surgery in Jackson for 30 years. “It can make treating them a bit more difficult as they have heard all these facts, when in truth the facts are not completely accurate.”

In 1996, Edwards began using stereotactic needle biopsy in diagnosing patients who were referred to him from their primary care physician for further analysis of breast lumps and abnormal mammograms.

Diagnosing breast cancer
Stereotactic needle biopsy is a diagnostic tool used to determine the presence of cancer cells. It involves an ultrasound-guided and mammogram-directed needle aspiration biopsy of breast tissue. It is a diagnostic procedure used to determine the cause of radiographic abnormalities in breast tissue. (A stereotactic biopsy is not the approach for all patients needing a breast biopsy; some patients can be treated with an in-office needle biopsy.)

“In Jackson, most stereotactic needle biopsies are performed by a surgeon, but that is not the case everywhere,” said Dr. Edwards. “Radiologists also can perform the procedure. When you are dealing with a patient who is anxious over what may or may not be cancer, time is important. When the patient is already in the care of a surgeon, it can reduce some of the time between diagnosis and the start of treatment.”

The procedure, which takes about 30 minutes, uses a large (core) or small (fine) needle to withdraw samples of the abnormal breast tissue. A fine-needle biopsy is most often used, in conjunction with ultrasound imaging, when a cyst is suspected. In a core needle biopsy, the needle is larger, has a cutting edge and enables the physician to extract a larger tissue sample from the suspicious area.

The procedure
“Patients are given a local anesthesia prior to the start of the procedure to make them comfortable. Patients lie face down on a table with breasts suspended through an opening. Mammograms are taken of the suspicious site from several different angles. This technique creates a virtual three-dimensional (stereotactic) picture of the abnormal area,” said Dr. Edwards.

“A computer is used to guide the needle to the site for sample removal. If the abnormality can be seen easily on ultrasound, the biopsy may be performed with the patient lying on her back while ultrasound imaging localizes the abnormality. The samples are then sent to a pathologist to determine if cancer cells are present.”

The results of the biopsy help the physician determine the best medical or surgical options available to the patient.

The biopsy results are reviewed by the physician performing the biopsy and by a pathologist who analyzes the sample. Results are reviewed and discussed with the patient, and options for further treatment or followup are presented.

The patient, with the guidance and expertise of the physician, selects a course of therapy.

Alleviating anxiety
“Any time there is a chance of cancer, anxiety is high,” said Edwards, who sees breast issues each day in his practice. “When patients hear the word ‘cancer,’ they often look like a deer in the headlights, and it is better to relieve their anxiety as soon as possible.” “There are a lot of emotions to deal with. You just have to develop a rapport and relationship with the patient and the family to know how to help them with the emotional side of things. Having that patient in my care through the entire process of the biopsy and evaluation helps me to ease some of that anxiety for them.”

Edwards says that when he performs the biopsy on a patient it can help him plan the course of treatment better for that patient.

“I already have knowledge of the tissue that I am going to be dealing with,” said Edwards. “It also allows me to talk to the patient about options sooner. I have been treating breast issues for a long time and that experience allows me to better be able to lay out options for a patient that best suit the situation.”