Every woman should be concerned about breast cancer. That's why Western Baptist Hospital offers mammography, breast ultrasound, scintamammography and stereotactic breast biopsy. These diagnostic imaging services help your doctor detect breast cancer early, as well as evaluate breast lumps without surgery.

What You Don't Know About Breast Cancer Can Hurt You

As a woman, you have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer during your lifetime. The best protection you have against breast cancer is early detection through:

• annual mammograms after age 40;
• monthly breast self-examination starting at age 20;
• receiving an annual breast exam from your doctor.

Early detection is your best chance of survival. The five-year survival rate for breast cancer is:

• 94 percent if the cancer has not spread.
• 73 percent if it has spread to nearby organs.
• 18 percent if it has spread throughout the body.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. As you get older, your risk for breast cancer increases. Sixty-one is the average age of women diagnosed with breast cancer at Western Baptist Hospital. The youngest patient diagnosed at the hospital last year was only 27. And although a family history of breast cancer increases a woman's risk of contracting it herself, 76 percent of all patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at Western Baptist Hospital had no family history of the disease.

For the past five years, Western Baptist has worked with the Kentucky Cancer Program to raise awareness of breast cancer in our community by helping to sponsor the annual Threads of Life program.

Mammography at Western Baptist Hospital

Located in our new Women's Center, the Mammography Suite at Western Baptist Hospital is designed with a woman's convenience, comfort and privacy in mind. It offers:

• personal dressing rooms and a private waiting room;
• a staff of female technologists sensitive to a woman's need for privacy and accredited by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists;
• board-certified radiologists to interpret your exam; and
• mammography services accredited by the ACR (American College of Radiology), FDA (Food&Drug Administration) and Medicare.

Western Baptist Hospital's Mammography Suite offers the very latest in breast imaging equipment. A special, high resolution mammography system produces sharp, clear X-rays of breast tissue. The system is so sensitive, it can detect tiny microcalcifications in the breast, often the very first sign of cancer.

Mammography is offered Monday through Friday by appointment. A mammogram takes about 15 minutes to perform. On the day of your mammogram, remember:

• Wear a two-piece outfit, so you can stay dressed from the waist down during your exam;
• Don't use any powders or underarm deodorants, because they can interfere with your results.

Evaluating Breast Lumps Without Surgery

Because nine out of ten breast lumps aren't cancerous, Western Baptist Hospital offers other imaging services to help evaluate breast lumps without the need for surgery, including:

• breast ultrasound to determine if a lump is solid or a fluid-filled cyst;
• scintamammography which utilizes nuclear medicine to rule out malignant breast lesions without the need for a biopsy (offered in our Diagnostic Imaging department); and
• stereotactic breast biopsy, to evaluate solid lumps without the need for surgery.

Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Stereotactic breast biopsy uses a precisely-placed needle, rather than surgery, to remove a breast tissue sample for diagnosis.

Millions of American women undergo screening mammography as part of their annual health checkups. Up to five percent of these mammograms will be read as abnormal and only ten percent of abnormal mammograms actually turn out to be cancer.

Stereotactic breast biopsy offers a fast, accurate and less expensive method of detecting breast disease without the discomfort and scarring associated with a surgical biopsy. During the procedure, you will lie on a special table and your breast will be compressed. A digital imaging system will take stereoscopic (three-dimensional) views of the lesion and instantly display them on a monitor. Your breast will be anesthetized. Then a computer will aim a biopsy needle directly into the suspicious area. Several highly accurate core-needle biopsies will be drawn for analysis by a pathologist to determine if the area is cancerous or benign.

The procedure is offered Monday through Friday by appointment and takes 30 minutes to perform. On the day of your exam, remember:

• You may eat a light breakfast.
• Wear a two-piece outfit, so you can stay dressed from the waist down during your exam.
• Don't use any powders or underarm deodorants, because they can interfere with the procedure.
• Do not take aspirin or anticoagulant medications two days before and two days after your stereotactic biopsy is performed.

Lymphedema Treatment

Sometimes women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer experience swelling in the upper extremeties. Also, individuals who sustain severe injuries to the lower extremeties have to deal with swelling. Physical therapists can work with your physician if you have lymphedema, which is swelling related to the dysfunction of your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system controls fluid return to the heart. Treatment is individualized to meet your need to maintain proper fluid dynamics in your arms and legs.

To learn more, contact Baptist Rehab Center at (270) 534-1200.

For More Information

For a comprehensive library of cancer related information, visit the Baptist Online Cancer Resource Center.

For more information about Breast Diagnostic Services at Western Baptist Hospital or to schedule an appointment, call (270) 575-2805.

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