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Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. But it’s important to note that breast cancer rates have been going down. This is most likely the result of early detection and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2 ½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
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The Breast Cancer Program Advantage
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The Breast Cancer Program at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold offers state-of-the-art services, expertise, and technology for detecting, diagnosing, treating and helping patients recover from breast cancer. Because our focus on the whole patient, not simply the disease, we also offer guidance on maintaining breast health, screenings to detect it early, and complementary therapies to support self-healing and emotional well-being for those who are undergoing treatment.
Our multidisciplinary, integrated approach assures patients and their families continuity of care and the convenience of finding everything under one roof in the friendly, attentive environment of a community-based medical center.
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The breast cancer team is led by an outstanding group of board-certified physicians specializing in radiation oncology, medical oncology, and plastic surgery. Trained at leading academic medical centers, these doctors combine their expertise to evaluate and treat all stages of the disease. The team also includes Magnet-designated nurses credentialed in chemotherapy and certified in cancer care and other professionals focused on patients’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
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Accurate Diagnosis and Staging of Breast Cancer
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If screening tests indicate that you could have cancer, the next step is to have a biopsy. During this test, cells from the area of concern are removed so they can be studied in the lab. There are several types of biopsies. Your physician will determine which one is best for you. Biopsies are performed at CentraState’s Women’s Health Center by specially trained radiologists or surgeons and all-female team of nurses and clinicians.
- Stereotactic Needle Biopsy (STNB)—STNB is a core biopsy that uses X-rays and computer coordinates. It offers a groundbreaking alternative to standard, open surgical biopsy. STNB procedures are performed in an outpatient setting using local anesthesia. During this procedure, small samples of tissue are removed for analysis using a hollow needle. This revolutionary diagnostic procedure is less invasive, less painful, and less costly than traditional surgical biopsy.
- Breast Needle Localization—Prior to surgery, a radiologist localizes the area in the breast to be biopsied by inserting a guidewire. The guidewire "hooks" around the area to be biopsied. The patient is then immediately transported to the Operating Room, where the surgeon makes an incision following the guidewire and accurately excises the targeted tissue.
- Ultrasound-Guided Breast Biopsy—This type of biopsy is useful when suspicious changes are detected through mammograms and ultrasounds, but no abnormality can be felt during an exam. The minimally invasive procedure involves no exposure to radiation, is performed in an outpatient setting, and takes less time than a traditional surgical biopsy.
Lab results are analyzed to determine if the tissue is benign (non cancerous) or cancerous. If it is cancer, then the biopsy can help to tell what type of cancer it is and whether or not it is invasive.
Other clinical tests may be needed to determine the stage (extent) of the cancer. For example, is it confined to the breast or has it spread. Once the stage is determined, an appropriate treatment plan can be developed.
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Individualized Breast Cancer Treatment Options
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Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan developed by the breast cancer team. The plan is based on your unique age, life expectancy, health status, lifestyle and personal preferences; the severity of the breast cancer and whether it is a recurrence of a pre-existing cancer; and the potential complications or side effects of each therapeutic approach.
The Breast Cancer Program offers these leading treatments for breast cancer: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
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Breast Conserving Surgery
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- Lumpectomy: This surgery removes only the breast lump and some normal tissue around it.
- Partial (segmental) mastectomy or quadrantectomy: This surgery removes more of the breast tissue than a lumpectomy.
Radiation treatment is usually given after both of these surgeries. If chemotherapy is also going to be used, the radiation may be put off until the chemo is finished. Also, in both lumpectomy and partial mastectomy, if cancer is found at the edges of the tissue that was removed, the surgeon may need to go back and take out more tissue.
For most women with stage I or II breast cancer, breast-conservation therapy (lumpectomy/partial mastectomy plus radiation therapy) works as well as mastectomy. Survival rates of women treated with these two approaches are the same.
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Mastectomy
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Mastectomy is surgery to remove the entire breast. All of the breast tissue is removed, sometimes along with other nearby tissues.
- Simple (also called total) mastectomy: In this surgery, the entire breast is removed, but not the lymph nodes under the arm or the muscle tissue beneath the breast. Sometimes both breasts are removed. For some women who are planning on having reconstructive surgery right away, a skin-sparing mastectomy can be performed. In this procedure, most of the skin over the breast (other than the nipple and areola) is left intact. This can work as well as a simple mastectomy. Although this approach has not been used for as long as the more standard type of mastectomy, many women prefer it because there is less scar tissue and the reconstructed breast seems more natural. Another option for some women is the nipple-sparing mastectomy. This procedure is more often an option for women who have a small early stage cancer near the outer part of the breast, with no signs of cancer in the skin or near the nipple.
- Modified radical mastectomy: This surgery involves removing the entire breast and some of the lymph nodes under the arm.
- Radical mastectomy: This is a major operation where the surgeon removes the entire breast, underarm lymph nodes, and the chest wall muscles under the breast. This surgery is rarely done now because modified radical mastectomy has proven to work just as well. It may still be done for large tumors that are growing into the muscles and under the breast.
- Reconstructive or breast implant surgery: After having a mastectomy (or some breast-conserving surgeries) a woman may want to have the breast mound rebuilt. These operations are done to restore the way the breast looks. If you are having breast surgery and are thinking about having breast reconstruction, you should talk to a plastic surgeon before your operation.
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Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
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Radiation therapeutic approaches for breast cancer include:
- External beam radiotherapy, including 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and image-guided radiation therapy.
- Brachytherapy via high dose rate or seed implants.
- Mammosite
Radiation therapy is administered by CentraState’s Radiation Oncology Department.
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Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
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Chemotherapy uses medicines that kill or halt the growth of cancer cells. This approach is generally used in three ways:
- Adjuvant chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is given to patients after surgery whose cancer does not appear to have spread.
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is given to patients before surgery to help shrink large cancers so they are small enough to be removed by lumpectomy instead of mastectomy.
- Chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer: Chemotherapy can also be used as the main treatment for women with cancer that has already spread outside the breast and underarm area at the time it is found, or if it spreads after the first treatments.
Chemotherapy is offered through CentraState Medical Center’s Pharmacy Department and administered by Magnet-designated nurses credentialed in chemotherapy and certified in cancer care.
Chemotherapy infusion treatment is offered at the Jean Mehr Infusion Therapy Center located in CentraState’s Medical Arts Building.
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Clinical Trials
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Some patients may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial in which they receive an emerging breast cancer treatment before it becomes publicly available.
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Complementary, Supportive Services
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Patients may find dealing with the emotional and physical effects of breast cancer to be stressful, even isolating. To help them cope, we offer an array of supportive services, including:
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Accreditations and Recognition
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CentraState is accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer (CoC), which sets the standards for cancer care programs nationwide and has recognized CentraState with an Outstanding Achievement Award.
The Women's Health Center at CentraState has been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The Women's Health Center is the only facility in western Monmouth County and one of only 34 imaging facilities in New Jersey to receive the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the ACR.
CentraState’s Radiation Oncology and Ultrasound Departments are also accredited by the ACR.
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For more information about CentraState’s comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, call (866) CENTRA7.
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