Locations:

Tucson - Silverbell
Tucson, AZ 85745 View Map

Tucson - Rudasill
Tucson, AZ 85704 View Map
Education & Credentials
Medical School
University of Minnesota Medical School
Residency
University of Arizona
Fellowship
Surgical Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Breast Surgical Oncology - Maimonides Medical Center
Board Certification
General Surgery
Affiliations
- American College of Surgery
Languages
English
In The Media
- Dr. Hendershott’s comments on Bilateral Breast Cancer were published on PatientPower.com!
- Dr. Hendershott’s Quotes on Beating Cancer While Pregnant Featured on Newseek.com
- How Long Can You Live with Metastatic Breast Cancer?
- Dr. Hendershott’s comments on MBC were published on Glamour.com!
- Arizona Oncology Adds Breast Surgeon Karen J. Hendershott, MD, FACS
Biography
Dr. Hendershott is a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist who also completed a research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she was named the Chief Academic Fellow. Previously she was an assistant professor of surgery and assistant residency program director at Cooper University Hospital where she was an award-winning educator. She then worked as an attending surgeon at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. Dr. Hendershott has multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at national surgical conferences. She is board certified, is a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons, has fellowship training in breast surgical oncology from Maimonides Medical Center, and has 15 years of experience specializing in the care of breast patients.
Dr. Hendershott specializes in the surgical management of genetic, familial, and triple-negative breast cancers and has a special interest in invasive lobular cancers. She has additional training in the performance of oncoplastic techniques to maximize cosmetic outcomes in breast conservation surgery. In addition to nipple-sparing mastectomies, she offers "aesthetically flat" mastectomy scars using complex closures and performs Goldilocks procedures in women desiring breast mounds without formal reconstruction.
Philosophy
As a breast cancer survivor, myself, I emphasize clear, compassionate communication and care coordination during cancer treatment. I focus on a "shared decision-making" approach with patients where we work together to identify the goals of care and the most appropriate treatments to achieve those desires. At the Silverbell and Green Valley offices, I can offer multidisciplinary visits where patients meet with the entire breast cancer team (medical and radiation oncology) at a single site and often at a single visit. Integrated care has been shown to decrease delays in treatment and optimize outcomes as well as increase patient satisfaction.