A PUBLICATION FOR COMMUNITY PHYSICIANS
OCTOBER 2012
Undiagnosed Breast Clinic pioneers new level of care
Provides rapid results — and relief — to women when they need it most By Michelle Talsma Everson
W
hen a patient suspects that they might have breast cancer, the wait for further testing and an official diagnosis can be agonizing. With this in mind, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center on the Banner Gateway Campus, opened the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic — a place where women who suspect breast cancer can get quick answers to some of their most daunting questions. Stephanie Byrum, M.D., F.A.C.S., a general surgeon at Banner MD Anderson with special training in the treatment of breast diseases, says that the Undiagnosed Breast Clinic was modeled after the benign breast clinic at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Providing results Byrum says the clinic is operated in such a way that patients who might have breast cancer get the answers they need in as short a time as possible. “A patient can get imaging done, have a biopsy performed, get results, and meet with physicians within a 24-hour turnaround,” Byrum says. “Whatever the results, there is a sense of relief knowing that either that they are okay or that they have a treatment plan in place.” At the clinic, results and all consultations needed for a treatment plan are available to the patient by their second appointment. Byrum adds that if the
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center patient Leaann Benzer, with her surgeon, Dr. Stephanie Byrum.
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8 Meet Banner MD Anderson physicians