Read Time: 3 minutes
Takeaways:
- In this Q&A, Kelly Hewitt, MD, FACS, reflects on what drives her work as a breast cancer surgeon.
- She discusses patient care, robotic mastectomy, and the role of research in improving treatment.
Impact: By combining compassionate, patient-centered care with leading-edge research and surgical innovation, Huntsman Cancer Institute provides exceptional breast cancer care tailored to each patient.
Video transcript
My name is Kelly Hewitt. I'm an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, and I specialize in breast cancer surgery.
Why did you choose to specialize in breast cancer surgery?
I've always been compelled to take care of cancer patients. I enjoy forming that relationship with people, being there and figuring out what the best thing to do is in this very stressful time.
And the things that I love about breast cancer surgery, besides the fact I certainly have individuals in my family who have dealt with breast cancer, as most people have. But sitting down with someone, knowing there are multiple reasonable options for taking care of them surgically and figuring out the best one for them.
The other thing is honestly, the vast majority of women do very well, and I enjoy taking care of people who I can honestly tell them, “A year from now, give or take, this will be in your rearview window, and we're here to get you through this right now, and we'll be able to do it.”
Can you tell us about robotic surgical mastectomy?
So, the robot has been used in various types of surgery for decades now. It is only now coming into practice in breast surgery. So, the way that it changes our approach, instead of a 10-centimeter incision about this big to remove someone's breast and do reconstruction, we could potentially decrease that to about a three-centimeter incision. And we do all of the surgery, so removing the breast tissue and the reconstruction, through that small incision.
Any time we think about innovation or changing things, we need to really reflect on what is the benefit to the patient. And I do think the robot offers some benefits.
What makes Huntsman Cancer Institute special?
Huntsman Cancer Institute is special for many reasons. We are an NCCN-designated cancer center in the Intermountain West that is really here to provide top-level care for patients in this area.
We have researchers at the forefront of what's going on. We have clinical trials that are not available at many places hours and hours from here. So, I think that there are endless resources that we provide—clinical trials and access to research certainly being at the top.
Why is cancer research important?
So, research is how change happens. We don't learn about better treatments, we don't learn about ways to improve upon what we're already doing without research, and that research has many levels to it.
So, there's basic science, where someone's in a lab with test tubes, finding things out on the cellular level. But then we also have the capability here at Huntsman Cancer Institute to take that basic science research and translate it in the clinical space. We call that translational research, where what someone's doing in the lab, we figure out a way to actually bring that into practice in the clinic.
We're where we are today because of things that were learned 10 years ago, and right now, what we're learning in the lab today will change, hopefully, everything for the better 10 years from now.
What is the BGCRA?
One group that I've really enjoyed working with and getting to know are our Breast and Gynecologic Cancers Research Advocate Committee members. These are women who have gone through treatment for breast and gynecologic cancers and have now come back and said, "Well, how can I give back? How can I volunteer?”
And so they volunteer their time primarily to help our researchers. They are led by Alana Welm, who helps identify projects that need patient input or a real person's input, and say, "Hey, what do you think about this grant proposal? What do you think about this clinical trial? What do you think about this research idea?”
And we pick their brain and use them to help us make things better, help us figure out how to make a trial better and more likely for a patient to participate in. They are so energetic and giving of their time and really passionate about this work, and we're so fortunate to have them and have them engaged in what we do here at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
What aspects of your career do you find most rewarding?
I love my job. I feel so fortunate to come to work every day. I really do.
The thing that I love the most really is my interaction with patients. I love sitting down with a woman and talking through everything and really figuring out the right thing to do for her. I find that invigorating and fulfilling in many different aspects.
I joke that I come in with a smile on my face when I'm operating because it's so fun to do surgery. I feel fortunate to be able to operate on people. That's just my happy place, in the operating room.
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