A group of Central Oregon physicians has together created a new High-Risk Breast Clinic, an important new service that will help reduce women’s risk of breast cancer and promote early detection of the disease.
St. Charles Cancer Center, Central Oregon Radiology Associates (CORA), Cascade Medical Imaging (CMI), Bend Memorial Clinic (BMC) and board-certified breast surgeons Drs. Andy Higgins, Gary Frei, Erin Walling and John Land will offer services aimed at identifying and educating women who have a higher-than-population risk for breast cancer.
“Many of the women that I see in our mammography clinic were previously unaware of their increased risk of breast cancer and are eager to learn more and have counseling and guidance through, what can be, an intimidating process,” said Dr. Cloe Shelton, director of women’s imaging at CORA. “This clinic is going to be a wonderful addition to our Central Oregon medical community, reaching a population that has been previously underserved.”
Through an intake questionnaire given at the time of breast cancer screening, women who are identified as having a 20 percent or higher lifetime risk of developing the disease will qualify for further evaluation at the High-Risk Breast Clinic.
These patients will be notified and provided with information about the High-Risk Breast Clinic. If they are interested in the clinic’s services, patients will be contacted by a clinic coordinator who will provide them educational materials and schedule them for a high-risk breast consultation with a participating board-certified breast surgeon.
At the high-risk breast consultation, patients will receive:
• A family risk assessment to determine if they meet eligibility for a comprehensive genetics evaluation with a St. Charles Cancer Center genetics specialist
• Information and educational materials about surgical, chemo-prevention and lifestyle risk reduction strategies
• Information about more aggressive breast cancer screening strategies
After their visit, patients will receive a follow-up call from a breast cancer nurse navigator who will answer their questions and connect them with any additional services they may need.
“It is very exciting to see our accredited Community Breast Program develop the High-Risk Breast Clinic,” said Higgins. “This collaborative approach organized the highest quality, multi-disciplinary team to help assess a woman’s personal risk and most importantly, outline strategies to lower it and closely monitor her.”
While breast cancer is curable if caught early, too many women are not diagnosed soon enough, said Dr. Linyee Chang, a radiation oncologist and medical director of St. Charles Cancer Center. In 2013, 15 percent of St. Charles’s breast cancer patients presented with advanced disease that required more intensive and longer treatment, including aggressive chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
“The High-Risk Breast Clinic is a service that we know women want,” Chang said. “There are questions that come up, especially among women with relatives with breast cancer. They worry, ‘Am I at higher risk? And do I need to do more to reduce my risk?’ This new clinic will help answer their questions and equip with them with a risk-reduction plan with dedicated monitoring of breast health moving forward.”
The clinic is supported in part with a $5,000 grant from Sara’s Project, a health education and outreach partnership dedicated to promoting the early detection of breast cancer and raising awareness of the disease. The funding will cover the cost of educational materials for patients.
For more information about the High-Risk Breast Clinic, contact Jessica Keegan, clinic coordinator, at 541-706-6729 or jmkeegan@stcharleshealthcare.org
