Diagnosis & Treatment of Breast Cancer

A diagnosis of breast cancer can be overwhelming. Our breast health navigator can help by providing education, support and helping coordinate appointments.

Along with your physician and others on your healthcare team, the breast health navigator’s role is to:

• Help you understand what to expect.
• Answer your questions.
• Help coordinate your care.
• Provide information about further testing procedures that your physician ordered.
• Help you schedule your appointments.
• Help you understand your healthcare and treatment choices.
• Help your family understand your diagnosis and treatment.
• Provide support to help you cope.
• Inform you about the services and resources you may need, both at East Alabama Health and in the community.
• Keep your physician informed about your care.

Patients can call the breast health navigator about anything related to their diagnosis and is a primary point of contact throughout treatment.

Breast Cancer Patient Testimonials

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The Boutique at Spencer Cancer Center

Looking and feeling your best during treatment or as a cancer survivor is something every patient deserves. That’s why we are pleased to offer a boutique at the Spencer Cancer Center that carries a wide selection of bras, mastectomy prosthetics, wigs and accessories such as “chemo beanies” (slip-on headcovers), fashionable hats, and headscarves. Plus, for patients and visitors alike, The Boutique carries various books, gift items, snacks and drinks.

Best of all, East Alabama Health has certified fitters to help women select breast forms and mastectomy bras. Some of the specialty items offered by The Boutique are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. To schedule an appointment for a fitting, or to ask about insurance coverage, please contact us at 334-528-8444. We are open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Breast Diagnostic Screenings and Services

• Digital mammography- All mammograms are read by two radiologists as well as the computer-assisted diagnostic (CAD) system.
• Breast MRI
• Breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) -BSGI, a molecular breast imaging technique, is a follow-up to mammography that can see lesions independent of tissue density and discover early stage cancers. With BSGI, the patient receives a pharmaceutical tracing agent that is absorbed by all the cells in the body. Due to their increased rate of metabolic activity, cancerous cells in the breast absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than normal, healthy cells and generally appear as "hot spots" on the BSGI image.
• PET scan
• Biopsy using breast MRI - In MRI-guided breast biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging is used to help guide the radiologist’s instruments to the site of the abnormal growth. An MRI-guided breast biopsy is most helpful when the MRI shows a breast abnormality such as a suspicious mass not identified by other imaging techniques, an area of distortion, or an area of abnormal tissue change.
• Stereotactic breast biopsy - In stereotactic breast biopsy, a special mammography machine uses ionizing radiation to help guide the radiologist’s instruments to the site of the abnormal growth. A stereotactic breast biopsy is performed when a mammogram shows a breast abnormality such as a suspicious solid mass, microcalcifications, a tiny cluster of small calcium deposits, a distortion in the structure of the breast tissue, an area of abnormal tissue change, or a new mass or area of calcium deposits is present at a previous surgery site.
• Ultrasound-guided biopsy - Image-guided biopsy is performed when the abnormal area in the breast is too small to be felt, making it difficult to locate the lesion by hand (called palpation). In ultrasound-guided breast biopsy, ultrasound imaging is used to help guide the radiologist’s instruments to the site of the abnormal growth. An ultrasound-guided breast biopsy can be performed when a breast ultrasound shows an abnormality such as a suspicious solid mass, a distortion in the structure of the breast tissue, or an area of abnormal tissue change. There are times when your doctor may decide that ultrasound guidance for biopsy is appropriate even for a mass that can be felt.
• Sentinel node biopsy - The sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread from the primary tumor. Cancer cells may appear in the sentinel node before spreading to other lymph nodes. During the procedure, the sentinel lymph node is removed and examined under a microscope to determine whether cancer cells are present.

Lymphedema Therapy

Lymphedema is most common in women after breast cancer treatment, including radiation, simple mastectomy, lumpectomy or radical mastectomy with removal of lymph nodes. It may also affect women and men who have been treated for other forms of cancer or who have suffered trauma to the lymph system.

At East Alabama Health, we offer a program of education and care through our Rehabilitation Services and RehabWorks to help you avoid lymphedema or keep it under control. For more information, call 334-528-5828.

Community

Spencer Cancer Center is involved in a number of breast cancer awareness activities and screenings in the community throughout the year. Cancer Center staff and physicians take the time to speak to community groups on breast cancer and other cancer-related topics, as well as participate in numerous health fairs throughout the year. Additionally, East Alabama Health and Spencer Cancer Center are involved every year in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

In October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we co-sponsor the annual “Think Pink” breast cancer walk, which takes place at Spencer Cancer Center and raises funds to provide mammograms and breast cancer treatment for medically underserved women in our communities. Throughout the month, the Cancer Center is involved in a number of breast cancer awareness activities in the community.