
A prospective non-interventional multicenter cohort study to evaluate different imaging– guided methods for localization of malignant breast lesions



The MELODY Team
Principal Investigator

Prof. Dr. med. Maggie Banys-Paluchowski
- Vice-Chair of EUBREAST e.V.
- Head of Breast Cancer Center
- Head of Center for Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer
- University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck
Deputy Principal Investigator

Prof. Dr. med. Thorsten Kühn
- Chairman of EUBREAST
- Head of Breast Cancer Center
- Die Filderklinik Filderstadt, Germany
International Steering Board

Prof. Dr. Jana de Boniface
- Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery
- Karolinska Institutet
- Department of Surgery, Breast Centre
- Capio St. Göran’s Hospital Stockholm, Sweden

Rajiv Dave, BSc, MBChB, MRCSEd, MD, FRCSEd
- Consultant Oncoplastic Breast and Endocrine Surgeon
- Nightingale & Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Honorary Senior Lecturer
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, UK

Dr. Oreste Gentilini
- Chair of EUBREAST
- Head of Department of Breast Surgery
- Ospedale San Raffaele Milan, Italy

Prof. Bahadır M. Güllüoglu, MD, FACS, FEBS (Hon)
- President of SENATURK
- Department of Surgery, Breast Surgery Unit
- Marmara University School of Medicine and SENATURK Turkish Academy of Senology Istanbul, Turkey

Prof. Dr. med. Markus Hahn
- President of German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM)
- Head of Experimental Senology
- Department of Women’s Health University Hospital Tübingen Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

James Harvey, MBBS.FRCS Ed. PHd
- Nightingale & Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre
- University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Manchester, United Kingdom

Prof. Dr. Güldeniz Karadeniz Çakmak
- Professor of Surgery
- Director of Breast and Endocrine Unit
- Zonguldak BEUN The School of Medicine Kozlu/Zonguldak, Turkey

Dr. Andreas Karakatsanis, M.D., Ph.D., FEBS-Breast
- Senior Consultant, Oncoplastic Breast and General Surgeon
- Clinical Lead, Section for Breast Surgery
- Department of Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital, Upsala, Sweden

Dr. Ashutosh Kothari MMBS, MS , DNB, FEBS (Breast) FEBS (Surg Onc) CEBS
- Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgeon
- Guy’s & St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
- Senior lecturer
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Kings College London
- Hon Consultant, Sir H.N Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, India.
- Director European Society of Surgical Oncology
- Board Member and Examiner UEMS ( Breast Examinations)
- Editor in Chief – BreastGlobal Journal

Prof. Dr. med. Michael Lux, MBA
- Head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
- Frauenklinik St. Louise
- Frauen- und Kinderklinik St. Louise
- St. Vincenz Krankenhaus GmbH
- Paderborn, Germany

Shelley Potter, BSc (Hons), M.B.Ch.B.(Hons), PhD, FHEA, FRCS
- Chair of the Executive Group of iBRA-NET
- Ass. Professor of Oncoplastic Breast Surgery
- Bristol Medical School (THS)
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute, Bristol, United Kingdom

Dr. Isabel Rubio
- President of EUSOMA
- President-Elect of European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO)
- Head of Breast Surgical Oncology
- Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid, Spain

Prof. Marjolein Smidt
- Department of Surgical Oncology
- Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Walter Weber
- Founder of the Oncoplastic Breast Consortium (OPBC)
- Chief of Division of Breast Surgery
- Department of Surgery
- Basel University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Heads of National Steering Committees

Argentina- Verónica Fabiano,MD
- Breast Cancer Surgeon
- Instituto Alexander Fleming, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Austria – Dr Florentia Peintinger
- Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Czech Republic – Dr. Jan Žatecký, Ph.D
- Breast Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Silesian Hospital in Opava, Czech Republic
- Researcher, Department of Surgical Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Czech Republic
- Lecturer, The Institute of Paramedical Health Studies, Faculty of Public Policies, Silesian

Denmark – Dr. med. ph.d Tove Filtenborg Tvedskov
- Consultant, Associated professor
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
- University of Copenhagen
- Dept of Breast Surgery
- Herlev & Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark – Dr. Lina Pankratjevaite, MD (Member of the Steering Committee)
- Consultant breast surgeon
- Department of Breast Surgery
- Herlev & Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

Egypt – Khaled Abdelwahab, MD
- Assistant professor of Surgical Oncology
- Mansoura Oncology Center- Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

France – Dr Séverine Alran
- Head of Breast & Gynecologic Surgery Service
- Groupe hospitalier Paris Saint Joseph

Germany – Prof. Dr. med. Nina Ditsch
- Head of Breast Cancer Center
- University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany

Greece – Prof. Dr. Michalis Kontos
- 1st Department of Surgery
- University of Athens
- Laiko Hospital, Athens, Greece

India – Prof. Ashutosh Kothari
- Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgeon
- Guy’s & St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
- Senior lecturer
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Kings College London
- Hon Consultant, Sir H.N Reliance Hospital, Mumbai, India.
- Director European Society of Surgical Oncology
- Board Member and Examiner UEMS ( Breast Examinations)
- Editor in Chief – BreastGlobal Journal

Ireland – Prof. Aoife Lowery, MB BCh BAO, MMedSci, FRCS, PhD
- Consultant Breast Surgeon & Professor in Surgery
- University of Galway, Ireland

Italy – Dr. Rosa Di Micco
- San Raffaele University and Research Hospital, Milan, Italy

Korea – Dr. Jai Min Ryu, MD, PhD
- Breast Surgeon
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery
- Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Korea

Norway – Dr Ellen Schlichting, MD, PhD
- Senior Consultant
- Dept. of Surgical Oncology
- Oslo University Hospital, Norway

Pakistan – Prof. Mah Muneer Khan
- Breast Care Service, Department of Surgery
- Khyber Medical College & Khyber Teaching Hospital
- Peshawar, Pakistan

Peru – Lía Pamela Rebaza, M.D.
- Breast Surgeon
- Clinica Oncosalud Auna, Lima, Peru

Poland – Prof. Dr n. med. Dawid Murawa
- President of the Polish Surgical Society
- Head of the Department of Surgical Oncology
- Collegium Medicum
- University of Zielona Gora, Zielona Góra, Poland

Portugal – Maria Antónia Vasconcelos, MD
- Breast Unit
- Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal

Romania – Prof Dr George Dindelegan
- Head of the First Surgical Clinic, Emergency County Hospital Cluj-Napoca
- Professor in General Surgery, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca

South Africa – Dr Sarah Nietz
- Breast Surgeon, Morningside Medi-Clinic
- Lecturer Department of Surgery
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa – Dr Francois Malherbe
- Head of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Unit
- Groote Schuur Hospital
- Senior Lecturer, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

Spain – Dr Antonio J. Esgueva, MD, PhD
- Breast Surgical Oncology
- Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid, Spain

Sweden – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jana de Boniface
- Oncoplastic breast surgeon, Capio St Goran Hospital,
- Senior Researcher, Karolinska Instituet, Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andreas Karakatsanis
- Associate Professor / Reader in Breast Surgery, Uppsala University
- Senior Consultant, Clinical Lead, Section for Breast Surgery, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden

Switzerland – Dr. Maria Luisa Gasparri
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
- University of the Italian Switzerland
- Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland

Turkey – Prof. N. Zafer Canturk, MD, FACS, FEBS
- First Vice-President of SENATURK Senology Academy
- CEO/General Director of the Kocaeli University Hospital, Kocaeli, Kocaeli University School of Medicine
- Department of General Surgery, Kocaeli, Turkey

Turkey – Prof. Neslihan Cabioglu, MD, PhD, FEBS
- Istanbul University
- Istanbul Faculty of Medicine
- Department of General Surgery, Istanbul, Turkey

United Kingdom – Dr Yazan Masannat, MBBS, MRCSI, MRCSEd, DBRM, FEBS, FRCSEd, MD
- Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
- Aberdeen Breast Unit
- Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

United States of America – Dr Erica Giblin, MD, MBA, FACS
- Medical Director Breast Care Services
- Ascension Medical Group
- St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, Carmel, Indiana

Venezuela – Dr Victor Acosta MD MSc
- Breast Surgeon
- Medical Director and President of CECLIM, Caracas
- Venezuela Medical Director of Ceclines, Caracas
Contact details
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at melody@eubreast.com. Your email will then be forwarded to the correct National Steering Committee Head representative.
Documents for Download
Current documents in English:

Country-Specific Documents for Download
Czech Republic
Germany
Greece
Denmark
Ireland
Italy
Poland
Peru
Romania
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Publications
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.; Kühn, T.; Masannat, Y.; Rubio, I.; de Boniface, J.; Ditsch, N.; Karadeniz Cakmak, G.; Karakatsanis, A.; Dave, R.; Hahn, M.; . et al. Localization Techniques for Non-Palpable Breast Lesions: Current Status, Knowledge Gaps, and Rationale for the MELODY Study (EUBREAST-4/iBRA-NET, NCT 05559411). Cancer 2023, 15(4), 1173. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15041173
- Ditsch, N.; Hartmann, S.; Krawczyk, N.; Hahn, M.; Lux, M.P.; de Boniface, J.; Weber, W.P.; Aktas Sezen, B.; Dave, R.; Gentilini, O.; Harvey, J.; Potter, S.; Masannat, Y.; Gasparri, M.L.; Banys-Paluchowski, M.: Markierungsmethoden beim Mammakarzinom. FRAUENARZT 7/2023.
Presentations
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: ASCO, May 30 – June 3 2025
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: ASCO, May 31 – June 4, 2024
- Ditsch, N.: SABCS, December 10-13, 2024
- Cabioglu, N.: ASBS, April 11-13, 2024
- Cabioglu, N.: EBCC, March 20-22, 2024
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: SABCS, December 5-9, 2023
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: DGS München, July 6-8, 2023
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: ASCO, June 2-6, 2023
- Banys-Paluchowski, M.: iBreast, July, 2022
Newsletters
- Melody Newsletter May 2025
- Melody Newsletter April 2025 (German)
- Melody Newsletter June 2024
- Melody Newsletter Feb 2024
- Melody Newsletter Feb 2024 (German)
- Melody Newsletter Sept 2023
Conferences
Videos
- Initation Videoconference
- German-language Initiation Videoconference
- Poster presentation at the ASCO 2023: MELODY video abstract
Study Support






The patient enrollment started in Q1 2023.
If you would like to participate in MELODY or to support the study, please contact us at: melody@eubreast.com.