Lori Lilley, MD, FACS

Dr. Lori Lilley is board certified in general surgery and advanced trauma life support, and her clinical interest is breast surgery. She enjoys treating women of all ages. Dr. Lilley heads our Breast Services Program at WakeMed.

Education and Training

She received her medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and completed her internship in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and her residency in general surgery at UNC School of Medicine. She also received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Lilley is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the UNC School of Medicine. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Nathan A. Womack Surgical Society, American Breast Disease Society, The American Society of Breast Surgeons, and The North Carolina Medical Society.

Breast Surgery

Dr. Lilley's special interests are breast abnormalities and surgery. She enjoys treating benign and malignant breast problems as well as people who have a family history of breast cancer and are at a high risk to develop it. Many of these problems of the breast require surgery, but some do not.

She is the lead physician in WakeMed's Breast Services Program, now offering same or next day appointments. The program is dedicated to offering coordinated care, prompt appointments and swift intervention.

Call 919-350-PINK (7465) for more information.

There are many types of breast cancer surgery, and Dr. Lilley uses her advanced skills and experience to help you decide which is best for you. The types differ in the amount of tissue that is removed with the tumor, and much of that will depend on what the tumor looks like and whether it appears to have spread. It also will depend, to large extent, on your personal feelings, so it's important that you approach your options for breast surgery and treatment in partnership with Dr. Lilley.

Here are breast cancer surgery treatment options:

• Lumpectomy
• Partial or Segmental Mastectomy or Quadrantectomy
• Total Mastectomy
• Modified Radical Mastectomy
• Radical Mastectomy

Geriatrics

While many elderly patients need the same types of surgeries as other adults-gallbladder, stomach and bowel surgeries, most frequently-treating geriatric patients requires different skills and knowledge. Older patients often have other complications, such as pulmonary and cardiac (heart-related) issues, and their aging bodies may respond differently to medications. Other factors to consider when operating on geriatric patients include their ability to move around or take care of themselves after surgery.

Some of the more common types of surgeries on geriatric patients involve infections, malignancy or obstruction in the gastrointestinal or urinary tracts, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids, and fractures.

Dr. Lilley understands that the process of aging is different in each person, and she will tailor your treatment and surgical options to your body and your needs.