Christina Weltz, MD

My surgical practice is focused on breast disease, specifically the diagnosis of breast cancer and the surgical treatment of all aspects of benign and malignant breast disease. Each individual with breast cancer has a unique presentation, and breast cancer is a very heterogeneous condition.

The primary goal of my practice is to carefully consider each individual’s  situation in order to determine the best treatment plan. This includes thoroughly reviewing imaging studies which have been done, and determining if  more are needed; considering whether surgery is the right first treatment, or whether other therapies such as chemotherapy or hormonal therapy should be used first; and reviewing biopsy information to learn as much as possible from already available pathology in order to make the best treatment recommendations.

The Dubin Breast Center, which emphasizes multidisciplinary care with breast surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, oncologists, plastic surgeons and other experts working together, greatly facilitates this approach. I feel strongly about bringing the same focus and effort to every surgical procedure, whether a simple biopsy, lumpectomy, mastectomy – including skin and nipple sparing procedures, or axillary lymph node surgery. A primary concern, both in clinical practice and research, is quality of life issues as they relate to the treatment of breast cancer.

With the realization that side effects of general anesthesia can be more debilitating than surgery itself, I developed a regional anesthetic technique called paravertebral block as an alternative anesthetic for women undergoing breast surgery. This work has been funded by federal research grants and this technique is now being practiced world-wide. I have also worked with Mount Sinai’s team of biobehavioral researchers to develop hypnosis and other interventions which markedly improve post-operative well-being.

I am also interested in psychological and emotional aspects of breast cancer, and am now researching why some individuals delay in presenting for diagnosis and treatment for this disease.The most important and rewarding aspect of my breast surgery practice is being available for the individual patient not only medically, but also in a human way.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is extremely stressful and dismaying, but I have always felt, and always will, that there is no problem that cannot be solved and  that the patient and physician are very much in this together.  I feel that this philosophy is in accord with the goals of the Dubin Breast Center, and I am proud to be part of a team that delivers the very best breast cancer care.

Here are some of my publications:

Ambulatory surgical management of breast cancer using paravertebral block
Annals ofSurgery. 1995 Jul. PMID: 7618963

Ultrasound-guided wire localization of focal duct dilatation in the evaluation and treatment of pathologic nipple discharge
The Breast Journal. 2018 May. PMID: 29063655

Surgical risk reduction, breast cancer and childbearing
Current Breast Cancer Reports. 2021 Jul 27

The Eye of the Beholder - a profile in breast cancer delay and denial
Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. 2022 Sep 9

Denial and Beyond
Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. 2023 May 4