A new diagnosis of breast cancer is often paired with difficult sensations, emotions and responses including fear, shock, numbness and disbelief, anger, betrayal, grief and sadness. In the midst of this emotional trauma, information must be gathered, often a new language of medical terms learned, treatment choices must be understood and difficult decisions must be made. Women often report being overwhelmed or at least intensely challenged to make sense of the medical maze.

Three specialty areas of central importance in the treatment of breast cancer include: surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology. Not everyone is treated with the all of these modalities, but each is weighed for the benefits offered and for the potential risks incurred. Each of these areas can be thought of as the treatment building blocks-they may be given in different order, over differing amounts of time-all depending on the stage and biological behavior of the breast cancer and the individual references of the women diagnosed with disease. A combination of treatment strategies from the three key breast cancer modalities is often the best method to achieve both local and systemic control of breast cancer. The treatments are accompanied by a range of emotions, possible side effects and potential variability in response to treatment. While none of these treatments is easy to undergo, many women weather breast cancer treatments with support.

Programs
Educational Material
Clinical Trials

Programs for Individuals with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer

The Breast Care Center offers coordinated care for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients by specialists from each of these areas in one patient-oriented facility. At the Breast Care Center, these specialists work together to coordinate the most appropriate care for each individual. These specialists include (but are not limited to) surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists.

Surgical Oncology
A breast cancer surgeon is a physician with specialty surgical training and experience in diseases of the breast including breast cancer. The surgeon has expertise in clinical breast exam, biopsy, and breast surgery for benign breast diseases and breast cancer. The surgeon works collaboratively with physicians in mammography and radiology, nuclear medicine, and pathology to plan and do diagnostic procedures. They work collaboratively with physicians in radiation and medical oncology to plan breast cancer treatment once it has been diagnosed. The breast surgeon does breast surgery-either alone or in collaboration with a plastic surgeon.

Medical Oncology
A medical oncologist is an internist with a specialty residency (and often fellowship) in medical oncology. Medical oncology is the study of and use of systemic therapies (treatments that treat the entire body) which include the use of chemotherapy (drugs to treat cancer) and hormone therapy (drugs that interfere with the body's hormonal stimulation of tumor growth). Chemotherapy may be give n for primary breast cancer (cancer believed not to have spread outside of the breast and lymph nodes) either before or after surgery. Chemotherapy may also be used as treatment for metastatic (spread to other organs of the body) breast cancer. Hormonal therapy (eg. Tamoxifen, Nolvadex) can be given for primary or metastatic breast cancer. A medical oncologist has expertise in managing these treatments and treatment side effects and problems encountered with breast cancer over the course of the illness.

Radiation Oncology
A radiation oncologist is a physician who completes a residency in the treatment of cancer with radiation therapy-the use of radiation particles in a controlled way to treat cancer. Radiation therapy may be used in the local treatment of primary breast cancer (most often following breast conserving surgery-lumpectomy) or as a method to control metastatic disease and alleviate symptoms (eg. radiation of the spine in the setting of bone metastasis may stop or slow growth of disease preventing damage to the spinal cord and decreasing pain.).

Other programs at the Breast Care Center for Women with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer

Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer
Decision Making Consultation
Emotional Support Program
Cancer Resource Center
Nutritional Consultation
Psychological Consultation
Art for Recovery
Healing Garden and Gift Shop

Clinical Trials for Individuals with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer
Clinical trials are formal, controlled protocols designed to test the effectiveness of new treatments, including novel drugs, types of intervention, or combinations of therapy.