Breast Cancer Treatment & Prevention with TidalHealth
SALISBURY, Md. – In this week’s Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with Dr. Sharnell Smith, a breast surgical oncologist at the TidalHealth Breast Center in Salisbury.
Dr. Smith tells us that patients coming to their center are typically recipients of genetic testing that has identified them of being at high risk for breast cancer. But other patients at the TidalHealth Breast Center are seeking care because they are experiencing breast pain or other symptoms that would prompt them to get a check-up.
“If they feel a mass in their breast, breast pain, nipple discharge, skin changes like redness, skin thickening — those are the things that we expect patients to seek medical care for, because it allows us to catch things very early, just like other cancers,” Dr. Smith elaborates. “The earlier we’re able to detect the disease, the less invasive of treatment we have to give and the better the overall prognosis and outcome.”
When patients come in with pain, their options are less limited than they use to be. Breast health and care has evolved, and now women are not required to receive mastectomies with a full axillary lymph node dissection. Now, many opt for a lumpectomy, which removes cancerous tissue plus a gram of normal breast tissue, and is followed by radiation treatment. But the best way to avoid surgical intervention is to stay up to date on preventative measures, like self-exams and mammograms.
“I want women to be cognizant of their breasts, doing monthly self breast exams,” Dr. Smith explains. “Same time every month, so that your breasts are very similar during those times, as well as if you’re over the age of 40 getting in order for your screening mammogram.”
If you have a family history of breast cancer, Dr. Smith advises you may want to speak with your gynecologist or your primary care physician to start mammogram screening earlier.
At the TidalHealth Breast Center in Salisbury, patients can schedule mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies. Similar services are offered at TidalHealth General Surgery in Seaford.
