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Health Matters: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | 11 One-Stop Breast Care The Providence Breast Health Center at the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center delivers excellent and compassionate care. T he Breast Health Center at the Disney Family Cancer Center has good news for women all over the Valley: You don't have to travel for exceptional breast care. "Our mission is to deliver excellent breast care for patients, closer to home," says Crystal Fancher, MD, a breast cancer surgeon at the Disney Family Cancer Center in Burbank, as well as Providence Saint John's Margie Petersen Breast Center in Santa Monica. "Every woman, at some time in her life, has a breast issue," says Janie Grumley, MD, a breast cancer surgeon at the Disney Family Cancer Center and director of the Comprehensive Breast Program at the Margie Petersen Breast Center. "And every woman thinks it is cancer until proven otherwise. A woman will wake up, feel something, go to her primary care doctor and the doctor will order imaging. Often, it's a cyst and that is it." But if there is cancer, the process from the first doctor 's visit to treatment can often take an agonizingly long time. "It can be four to six weeks before a woman has a diagnosis," says Dr. Grumley. "We understand how this can be incredibly stressful for women." In an effort to ease these worries, the Breast Health Center at Disney Family Cancer Center now provides same- or next-day evaluations for breast concerns. BREAST HEALTH IN ONE PLACE "In terms of cancer detection, the center offers the most up-to-date screening mammograms— 3D mammograms," says Tara Ower, RN, a nurse practitioner and breast care specialist. Aside from mammograms, genetic testing is available for those with a family history of cancer. "We work with high-risk patients, those with and without genetic mutations, on an ongoing basis," adds Ower. If cancer is detected, the empathic care continues. "We coordinate care for our patients with the different specialties, including breast cancer surgeons, oncologists and radiation oncologists," says Dr. Grumley. Instead of having several appointments with different doctors, the patient sees them all in one appointment. It's one-stop shopping. "The patient stays in one room and the doctors rotate in and out," says Dr. Fancher. "Then all of the providers talk to each other right there, and the patient walks out with a good idea of what her treatment will look like." It is all part of our commitment to your health. The patient also receives complete written information about the kind of breast cancer she has, the types of surgeries available, chemotherapy and radiation, and wellness and survivorship. "This is really good, vetted information," says Dr. Fancher. "We want patients to walk away with clear and accurate information about their diagnosis and treatment options." THE MOST UP-TO-DATE SURGERY Drs. Grumley and Fancher are trained in the latest techniques and are involved in breast cancer research. "For a long time, women have been treated with lumpectomy and mastectomy, but it looks like breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy, in which much of the breast tissue is kept) is probably a better treatment for most women," says Dr. Grumley. As part of breast conservation surgery, Dr. Grumley and Dr. Fancher are also specialized in oncoplastic breast surgery. This approach combines plastic surgery techniques with the cancer operation to help preserve the breast cosmetically. "We are also able to operate on both breasts at the same time, sometimes using breast lifts or reductions—and we make the breasts symmetrical. This means that women don't have to come back for additional surgeries to achieve symmetry," she adds. The other area in which big strides are being made is radiation treatment, which can last from three to six weeks. "Now, with intraoperative radiation treatment (IORT)," says Dr. Grumley, "for carefully selected patients we can do a one-time radiation treatment during surgery, focusing it right where the cancer is. We can do less and less when we know more and more." "Our goal is to build a regional network to align novel treatments, research and clinical trials," says Dr. Fancher. "We are really excited to expand our reach." For more information about the breast health program at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, call 844-987-0488. WE COORDINATE CARE FOR OUR PATIENTS WITH THE DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES, INCLUDING BREAST CANCER SURGEONS, ONCOLOGISTS AND RADIATION ONCOLOGISTS.

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