IMAGECARE: PINK BREAST CENTERS
Mammograms: A Must for Women’s Health
Dr. Lisa Marie Sheppard, medical director, Pink Breast Centers.
Dr. Lisa Sheppard, medical director of ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers, emphasizes the importance of annual mammograms for women aged 40 and older. “The latest science makes it clear that screening mammograms save lives,” she says. “There is no reason not to have one.” Dr. Sheppard highlights that women have the right to a screening mammogram without needing a doctor’s prescription and mammograms are fully paid for by insurance.
For those without insurance, programs like New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) provide mammograms. By law, women are entitled to a baseline mammogram at age 35 and a yearly exam from age 40, both fully paid for by insurance. Women who have dense breasts or who are at elevated risk for breast cancer are entitled to high-resolution screening breast ultrasounds and screening breast MRIs. At ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers, women’s health is prioritized, and further imaging or biopsies are provided if necessary.
All 15 ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers are American College of Radiology Centers of Excellence and offer high-resolution 3-D mammography with AI-enhanced overreads, ensuring every patient receives comprehensive feedback at no extra cost. “We believe in high-quality exams for our patients, leading to fewer false positives, biopsies, and callbacks,” says Dr. Sheppard. ImageCare–Pink Breast Centers utilize the most advanced breast imaging technology available to provide individually tailored, comprehensive evaluations for the early and precise detection and diagnosis of breast diseases. The highest quality interventional breast procedures are conducted, including stereotactic, ultrasound, and MRI-guided biopsies.
Experience also makes a difference. “We perform more than 75,000 breast imaging studies each year,” says Dr. Sheppard. “These studies are interpreted by board-certified and fellowship-trained doctors.” “It’s incredibly important that women get screened,” she adds. “The earlier we find breast cancer, the smaller it is, leading to less treatment and better outcomes.”
15 locations throughout northern New Jersey • 973-556-4910
SAINT PETER’S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Wireless Technology Offers Enhanced Comfort and Improved Accuracy
Dr. Sundus Abbasi, breast surgeon at the Breast Center at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Advances in breast imaging have led to earlier detection rates of breast cancer, especially for nonpalpable masses that can only be seen on imaging due to their small size. Paralleling the advances in breast imaging technology are localization techniques, including the adaptation of wireless technology, which has led to improvements in patient satisfaction and comfort.
Saint Peter’s University Hospital is implementing Magseed® technology, a unique breast marker that replaces the traditional practice of implanting a wire prior to surgery, thereby enhancing patient comfort while providing increased accuracy for the surgeon tasked with removing the cancer. “The Magseed can pinpoint the exact spot of the tumor within millimeters. In addition, because the Magseed provides additional patient comfort, it can be implanted any time after the initial biopsy, decreasing the wait time on the day of surgery,” says Sundus Abbasi, breast surgeon at the Breast Center at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
“The Magseed has been proven beneficial for advanced breast cancer patients too. Advanced breast cancer often necessitates the removal of one or more lymph nodes, a procedure that leads to lymphedema. Particularly in advanced cancer, surgeons using the Magseed marker can now mark only the cancerous lymph nodes, preserving others and reducing the potential for lymphedema by offering less axillary surgery.”
The Saint Peter’s Breast Center provides a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer via a team of oncologists, breast surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, genetic counselors, and physical therapists who collaborate in developing individualized treatment plans. Patients also benefit from access to clinical trials.
The TrueBeam® linear accelerator, coming this fall, improves breast imaging capabilities even further, offering pinpoint accuracy in reaching hard to locate tumors. The technology can treat up to ten lesions at a time while simultaneously preserving healthy tissue adjacent to the cancer itself.
ATLANTIC HEALTH SYSTEM
Better Tools, Better Results
Dr. Paul Friedman of Atlantic Health System
Breast cancer death rates are down more than 40 percent from three decades ago, thanks to a combination of increased information and improving technology that has positively impacted diagnosis and treatment.
That fantastic improvement does not diminish the importance of screening, however. Currently, a number of organizations, including the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, support the beginning of annual screenings at age 40 for women of average risk. “That should take place every year as long as you are healthy,” says Dr. Paul Friedman, radiologist. “There really is no upper age limit. Of course, those with higher risk should be screened earlier.”
Breast density has become another key factor to consider when it comes to breast health. “Every woman should know her breast density,” says Dr. Friedman. “It matters because additional screening may be required since higher density can make it harder to evaluate a mammogram.” Speaking of mammograms, those have evolved tremendously over time, transitioning from film to digital. In more recent years, the process of tomosynthesis has changed the game again, using technology that can produce hundreds of images through a breast rather than just creating superimposed images of it. “That has really elevated the specificity and accuracy in readings,” says Dr. Friedman.
The next wave of improvement is likely to come from the use of artificial intelligence, which is fitting given that Atlantic Health has always been on the forefront of technology. Equally as important is the all-encompassing care breast cancer patients receive at Atlantic Health, according to Dr. Friedman. “When you come to us, you’re not just getting your mammogram, you’re getting risk assessment, evaluation of breast density, diagnosis, and an individualized care program,” he says. “We also offer nurse navigators who will guide you through the entire process.”
Atlantic Health System • Morristown Medical Center • 844-343-3540