The Breast Center Resource Guide
Prevention | Technology | Diagnosis | Treatment | Clinical Research | Survivorship
CONTENTS:
Prevention Technology Diagnosis Treatment Clinical Research Survivorship
Why Choose Us? The staff of the new and comprehensive Breast Center at UT Health Northeast is dedicated to fighting a diagnosis of cancer through prevention, routine screening, diagnosis, treatment, clinical research, and long-term survival. Our Breast Center is home to the newest and most ultramodern diagnostic technology. You will be surrounded by a caring and committed team of highly skilled physicians and surgeons, compassionate nurses and technologists, and an attentive support staff there to provide you with the best care possible. We also have advanced expertise in caring for women with dense breast tissue or who have a high risk for developing breast cancer due to family history or genetics.
40%
An estimated 40 percent of all women who have a screening mammogram have dense breasts. Source: American College of Radiology
The best lines of defense against breast cancer.
Prevention
Early Detection
Weight and Exercise
Mammography Screening
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, as much as 38 percent of breast cancers could be prevented by eating a nutritious diet, being physically active, and keeping your weight under control.
Family History and Genetics If you have an immediate family member (mother, sister, daughter, father, or brother) who has had breast cancer, you are at increased risk yourself – a risk that increases the more family members you have who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. For those with a family history of breast cancer, genetic testing may be appropriate to identify potential risk early.
Did you know that one out of four women avoid mammograms out of worry or fear? Yet one out of eight who live to age 85 will develop breast cancer at some point in her life. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer as early as possible. We support the guidelines of the American Cancer Society which recommend yearly mammograms for a woman with an average risk starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as she is in good health. If you are at high risk due to genetics or family history, talk with your healthcare provider about when you should start and how often you should have a mammogram. Your experience at UT Health Northeast will be private and as comfortable and stress free as possible, and your images will be read by one of our expert radiologists located in the Breast Center.
Breast Self-Awareness and Clinical Breast Examination To aid in the early detection of breast cancer, it’s important to be familiar with how your breasts look and feel and how they may change. Report any differences to your healthcare provider as soon as you notice them. An annual clinical breast exam is a good idea since a small number of breast cancers are not detected by mammography.
Tour the Breast Center We invite you to UT Health Northeast to tour our Breast Center or our Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. Call (903) 877-7075 to schedule a time convenient for you.
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The Breast Center has the latest technology available to identify and diagnose breast cancer – from standard screening mammography to imaging tools and procedures that will identify breast cancer in its earliest stages. We know that each woman who comes to us for care is unique, and our skilled and knowledgeable physicians are experts in knowing which diagnostic tools are right for each woman. However, diagnostic technology does not replace the need for a standard mammography. For your comfort, privacy, and convenience, our ultramodern imaging technology is located within the Breast Center. There you will find dedicated and highly qualified radiologists, experienced technologists, nurses, and patient services coordinators who will provide you with the best possible experience.
Technology
Our breast imaging capabilities are amazing! Digital Screening and Diagnostic Mammography
3-Dimensional Breast Ultrasound
Our Senographe Essential produces very high-quality images with a lower-than-average radiation dose than most other mammography units. The Senographe was ergonomically designed with your comfort in mind.
Imagine lying comfortably on a table designed to do a 360-degree ultrasound scan of the whole breast accurately and privately in just minutes. Our new iVu SOFIA™ is fullyautomated ultrasound technology that scans the whole breast in less than four minutes with no compression and no radiation – it’s the next generation of superior quality breast imaging.
Breast Tomosynthesis (3-Dimensional Mammography) Using our Senographe Essential, we are also able to perform high-resolution, limited-angle scans at screening mammography radiation levels. This procedure also requires minimal pressure on the breast.
Ultrasound Following a standard screening mammography, some women will need further testing. Our GE LOGIQ S8 Ultrasound is the perfect choice for providing exceptional, high-definition breast images to allow our radiologists to further examine an abnormal finding on a mammogram.
Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) Our new GE Discovery Molecular Breast Imaging System is sensitive enough to detect small tumors about the size of a pencil eraser. Designed to provide consistent, high-quality images, MBI allows physicians to identify cancers when they may not yet be visible with mammography or ultrasound.
Contrast-Enhanced Imaging Using GE SenoBright Contrast-Enhanced Spectral Mammography, we can combine digital mammography testing with a contrast dye to produce a new type of breast imaging in just minutes, which may help to avoid a breast biopsy.
Our goal is to use the most advanced and appropriate technology available today to detect tumors as small as possible so we can begin treatment as soon as possible.
OUR GOAL
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Diagnosis As part of our advanced breast cancer diagnostic services, a highly skilled surgeon or radiologist may be called on to perform a breast biopsy to rule out or confirm a suspected diagnosis of breast cancer.
Treatment for Breast Cancer Your destination of hope.
In the event of a breast cancer diagnosis, comprehensive treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, biological therapy, and/or radiation therapy in the event of a breast cancer diagnosis in our reknowned Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center.
• Surgery is often one of the first steps of a breast cancer treatment plan; for example, to remove a tumor or to accurately determine the extent of the cancer. • Chemotherapy is the use of a drug or a drug combination to kill cancer cells. There are many drugs used to treat breast cancer, and many more are being developed and investigated. • Biological therapy is a type of treatment that works with a
patient’s immune system to fight cancer. It can enhance other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
• Radiation Therapy uses high-intensity beams of radiation
to destroy breast cancer cells. Our Varian TrueBeam and TrueBeam STX is the most current and powerful technology available in the fight against breast cancer.
• Additional treatments can include nutritional counseling
and physical therapy – both have been shown to improve breast cancer outcomes.
A small number of women who have a screening mammogram are called back for more testing. Of those, only 8 to 10 percent will need a biopsy, and approximately 80 percent of these biopsies turn out to be benign. Source: American Cancer Society
Clinical Research
The future of lifesaving treatment. Many times disease prevention, treatments, and life-improving care are studied and approved through clinical or research trials. Clinical trials are conducted to determine whether a new drug or treatment is both safe and effective. These research studies rely on volunteers who participate in the evaluation of a new drug or treatment. Depending on the type of cancer you have, you may be offered the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial. For more information, call (903) 877-7753.
Survivorship Life Worth Living
Your Future of Hope Survivorship Program at UT Health Northeast is designed to provide cancer survivors with a comprehensive care summary and a structured follow-up plan that reflects their treatment and addresses the many post-treatment needs to improve health and quality of life. Patients of UT Health’s Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center, as well as individuals who have completed their treatment elsewhere, can participate in the Your Future of Hope Survivorship Program. If you received your Scheduling Your First Appointment treatment elsewhere, we will need For a digital screening mammogram, second opinion, or self-referral, please copies of the medical records call (903) 877-7110 to be seen at the main campus of UT Health Northeast. concerning your cancer treatment. If you have no symptoms and the location is more convenient, you can also schedule a digital screening mammography at the University Health Clinic on 3310 Patriot Drive in Tyler by calling (903) 939-7870.
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Help Us Make a Difference! Your gift will help us positively impact lives. To give a gift or request more information, call (903) 877-5135 or visit our website at www.uthct.edu/ia today. Thank you for partnering with the only university medical center in Northeast Texas to provide comprehensive patient care, education, and innovative research.
Consider UT Health Northeast for all of your healthcare needs. UT Health Northeast is home to our university hospital, physician clinics, and a 24/7 emergency room. We also have physician clinics in Overton, Gladewater, Longview, and on the campus of UT Tyler – the University Health Clinic. Consider making us your healthcare home. Call (903)-877-7000 or toll-free 1-(855)-506-HOPE to schedule an appointment with one of our many primary care and specialty providers.
(903)-877-7110 1-(855)-506-HOPE The Breast Center at UT Health Northeast Hwy. 271 at Hwy. 155
University Health Clinic (digital screening mammography without symptoms)
3310 Patriot Drive, Tyler
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11/2013