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Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center High-Risk Breast Clinic 

Oncology Nurse Practitioner Jodie Harrison

Slidell Memorial Hospital Imaging Center and Cancer Center recognized that a percent of the population was at high risk of developing breast cancer without the support to navigate it.

Oncology Nurse Practitioner Jodie Harrison understands what it is to have concerns about personal cancer risk. Her mother was diagnosed at 45. “I know that feeling of, am I at risk? Having in the back of your mind, am I going to get it as well?”

The High-Risk Breast Clinic seeks to meet that need. Patients are identified through a mammogram and Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) score, which looks at personal and family history. Anyone with a score of 20% is considered at higher risk. Knowing their TC score can help patients advocate for themselves and seek care.

“There is further follow-up for those who don’t have cancer but could be at risk, so we want to keep a closer eye on them,” Harrison explains.

“We ask, is there something else we should be doing to protect our breast health? For [the High-Risk Breast Clinic] the biggest thing is early detection,” Harrison says. “The risk will never completely go away, but we can help reduce it. We can get a baseline [of an individual’s health] and then hopefully catch it earlier and have a better chance of curing it.”

She recommends regular self-breast exams, 150 minutes of exercise a week, not smoking, and limiting alcohol. Annual mammograms are a must for anyone over 40.

“If you have a close relative who has had breast or ovarian cancer it’s important to get an idea of your risk level,” she says. Individuals who feel they could be at risk, can call and make an appointment with the clinic. The team there will be glad to help.

For more information, please call the SMH Oncology Nurse Navigator at (985) 280-6672.

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