Breast Cancer

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

A breast cancer diagnosis usually starts with a mammogram or another imaging test that shows unusual tissue in your breast. To find out if it’s cancer, a doctor may perform a biopsy. This exam uses a thin needle or minor surgical procedure to take a small sample of cells to examine in a lab. You’ll get an anesthetic (numbing medicine) to prevent pain, and you can go home right afterward.

Treating Breast Cancer

After a cancer diagnosis, you’ll likely have more than one choice of treatment plans. Trust us to recommend the best path forward based on your health, goals and stage (severity) of the condition.

Surgery

If surgery is part of your care plan, ask your surgeon which of these procedures may be best for your situation:

• Lumpectomy removes just the tumor and some surrounding tissue.
• Mastectomy removes the whole breast.

No matter which option you choose, you’ll be in the experienced hands of our dedicated breast surgeon. This expert has advanced, specialized training in caring for breast cancer patients.

Breast Reconstruction

After mastectomy or lumpectomy, you may choose to receive reconstruction surgery that restores the look and shape of breasts. Ask our plastic surgery specialists about the benefits of each of these options:

• Flap surgery transfers tissue from another part of your body into your chest.
• Implant surgery places saline-filled sacs in your chest.
• Oncoplastic reduction rearranges breast tissue to create a more natural look after lumpectomy.

With any of these procedures, you may also choose fat grafting. This type of surgery injects fat under the skin of your chest after removing it from another part of your body.

Most insurance plans cover breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy can destroy any breast cancer cells remaining after lumpectomy or mastectomy. During radiation treatment, your care team works to protect healthy areas of your body with techniques such as using technology that adjusts the radiation beam for tumors (including breast cancers) that move as you breathe.

Medications

As part of your treatment plan, your doctor may also prescribe:

• Chemotherapy : Delivers cancer-fighting medicine through a vein
• Hormone therapy : Starves breast tumors of the hormones they need to grow
• Immunotherapy : Helps the immune system battle cancer

Team Approach to Care

Successful breast cancer treatment takes the expertise of a team. That’s why a group of LMH Health cancer specialists meets regularly to review your progress during treatment. They adjust your care plan as your health needs evolve and can determine whether you qualify for a clinical trial that tests promising new treatment options.

Support Services

Enjoy a better quality of life during and after cancer treatment with our wide range of support services. If breast cancer care affects your lymph nodes, get help to manage swelling and other symptoms with lymphedema therapy. If treatment affects your appearance, explore wigs and cosmetic products that can make you look and feel more like yourself.

Genetic Counseling & Testing

Up to 10 percent of breast cancers are hereditary. When you and your relatives each learn their inherited risk of the disease, all of you can take steps to protect your long-term health. Explore LMH Health’s genetic counseling and testing services, as well as our lifetime breast cancer risk assessment program that your family can access during a mammogram appointment.