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Women's Health News
Partnering With Patients To Battle Breast Cancer And Misconceptions
Breast Cancer.
Those two words are among the most dreaded in the English language.
And while breast cancer is a very serious diagnosis, the truth is much of the fear surrounding the disease is built upon misconceptions, upon days of old when there were very few treatment options for women. And when patients were basically forced to go it alone emotionally.
"No one gave you choices or information," explains Sandra Finestone, Psy.D., Hoag's breast cancer services coordinator. "One day you were diagnosed with cancer, the next day you woke up from surgery and didn't have a breast."
You see, Finestone is a breast cancer survivor of 20 years. And now, she spends each day making sure women who are diagnosed get answers, get choices, get access to the services that make Hoag's breast cancer program among the very best.
In the last two decades, things have come a long way. Hoag Cancer Center opened its doors 12 years ago and today treats more breast cancer patients than almost any hospital in Southern California. Their five-year survival rate is a remarkable 94 percent, well above the national average of 86 percent.
But a lot of what makes Hoag's breast program one of the most respected in Southern California cannot really be quantified--intangibles like compassion, a willingness to answer all your questions, a commitment to standing by your side throughout the entire journey.
"It's a program, not just an imaging center and a cancer center," emphasizes Finestone. "We're all working together to make sure no woman gets lost in the process."
From the moment a woman enters Hoag's breast program she is certain to feel the difference. Hoag Breast Care Center has a warm, inviting feel with a beautiful interior design and a staff that makes each visit a pleasant one.
You almost forget that Hoag has leading-edge technology and some of the field's most renowned experts working for you. The result is breast cancer detection that is extremely reliable.
Hoag is a place women can trust, where they can take comfort in knowing that concerned, attentive, experienced physicians will take a cautious approach to their care,? explains Lincoln Snyder, M.D., medical director of Hoag Breast Care Center. ?We are very quick to investigate things further, whether that requires additional imaging or a biopsy.?
Hoag is so respected that it is literally helping shape the future of breast cancer detection. The hospital recently received a $2.5 million grant from the Beckman Foundation to determine the best uses of MRI technology in breast imaging.
Early detection of cancer is truly the key to survival and Hoag has excellent equipment for spotting cancer and diagnosing it. For instance, Hoag can perform a stereotactic biopsy to determine if a breast tumor is cancerous. The non-surgical procedure takes just 30 minutes and leaves virtually no scar behind.
Regardless of how early the cancer is caught, the time of diagnosis is when life changes for patients, when the thirst for information becomes unquenchable. Fortunately, Finestone is available for any Hoag patient who wants to talk. "Being diagnosed with breast cancer is like being dropped in a foreign country," explains Finestone, who counseled more than 330 breast cancer patients last year alone. "I try to break everything down into terms the patient can understand. Most women don't realize that there is a large spectrum of breast cancer, and most of it is very manageable."
In fact, many mistakenly believe breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women, even though women are about 13 times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease. In fact, breast cancer is actually second to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women.
The arsenal for battling breast cancer has grown considerably over the past few years. "At Hoag, the leading treatment options are available," explains Dr. Snyder. "We offer breast-conserving surgery, complicated breast reconstructive procedures and the latest in breast-conserving radiation. There are very few places that have all of these components and even fewer that deliver them with physicians who patients can be completely comfortable with and confident in."
Dr. Snyder estimates that 80 percent of patients at Hoag are able to avoid a mastectomy (removal of the breast), often gaining favorable results from a lumpectomy (the removal of the breast tumor) followed by radiation.
When appropriate, Hoag offers breast patients next-generation IMRT, the latest advance in radiation therapy that allows doctors to deliver a stronger dose with more precision and fewer side effects.
Hoag breast surgeons perform more than 500 procedures a year. "As a patient, you do well when you're taken care of by a physician who frequently performs the procedure you need," asserts Dr. Snyder. "That surgeon has a better grasp of the unusual phenomena that can occasionally arise."
Of course, with all these options, there's a lot to explain. "There is so much information today, you really need someone to guide you through the maze," explains Finestone, who is that person at Hoag. "As I tell many of our patients, 'The good news is you have choices. The bad news is you have choices.'"
Throughout treatment, Hoag has a number of programs in place to support the patient and her family. There are four support groups for breast cancer patients, along with one-on-one counseling and family counseling--all at no charge.
Another Hoag hallmark is Fitter Image, a physical fitness program with step aerobics, T'ai Chi and yoga classes that factor in some very specific needs. Hoag offers a unique and tremendously popular art therapy program and genetic testing that lets patients know if loved ones might be at risk for breast cancer.
Other cancer centers across America are starting to get on board when it comes to treating the emotional and spiritual side of the patient. Hoag Cancer Center has been doing that from day one. "We have been amazingly far sighted on this," explains Finestone. "We have always treated the whole person, not just the disease. It speaks volumes that all the major institutions are now operating programs that we've been running for more than a decade."
These programs are especially important for breast cancer patients. "Women are caregivers, that's our nature," explains Finestone, who has a doctorate in psychology but is known to patients simply as Sandy. "So it can be very difficult to ask for help when we need it. But when you walk into a support group, every woman there knows what you feel like. You don't even have to ask for help."
That stands in stark contrast to the days of 20 or even 10 years ago, when women had few options and even less support.
Perhaps nobody understands the progress that's been made better than Finestone. "Things are amazingly better today," she emphasizes. "We make sure a woman is truly comfortable with her treatment decision so she won't have any regrets later on, which is hugely important.
"It's paramount that the decision be hers."
For more about the breast cancer program at Hoag, call 949/7-CANCER (722-6237).
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