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Continued From Page 24 RWJBarnabas Health , Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey M . Michele Blackwood , MD , FACS Medical Director for Breast Services , RWJBarnabas Health Chief of Breast Surgery ,
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
More effective treatments for breast cancer are continually evolving through research and clinical trials at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey together with RWJBarnabas Health , and our goal is to ensure patients with breast cancer have the ability to participate in them . As New Jersey ’ s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center , we ’ re able to provide access to clinical trials not available at other hospitals , clinics or doctor ’ s offices , as well as access to some of the most advanced , targeted treatments and medicines available .
One such trial at RWJBarnabas Health in collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute , I-SPY2 , is evaluating a more personalized treatment approach for patients with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer who require treatment before undergoing surgery . Following a genomic profiling of the tumor prior to treatment , each participant starts on the treatment regimen ideal for the tumor . After several weeks of treatment , the participant undergoes a repeat scan to measure the level of disease left in the breast ; if the clinical response is not evident , another medicine is used and assessed . This will serve as a model that our experts will use in many years to come in treating our breast cancer patients .
RWJ Barnabas Health Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey , Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Bruce Haffty , MD , MS Chair of Radiation Oncology , RWJ Barnabas Health Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs , at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey , Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
While the pandemic has affected many aspects of breast cancer care across the globe , experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey continue to work with breast cancer patients to personalize their comprehensive treatment plan , which in some cases , may include proton therapy . Proton therapy is a non-invasive and painless type of radiation treatment that can precisely target and deliver high radiation doses to a tumor to kill cancerous cells . Rutgers Cancer Institute and the Laurie Proton Therapy Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick , an RWJBarnabas
Health facility , are one of only two programs in New Jersey to offer this select form of treatment .
While Proton therapy is not offered for the majority of patients with breast cancer , patients who have previously received radiation therapy and need additional radiation therapy to the same region can benefit from this approach as it minimizes damage to nearby tissue and critical organs , such as the heart and lungs . There is an ongoing clinical trial at Rutgers Cancer Institute in which investigators will evaluate if there is a benefit in selected patients when the breast and regional lymph nodes require treatment .
St . Joseph ’ s Health System Jane White Vice President of Oncology ,
As hospitals began to fill up with COVID positive patients in March of 2020 , many healthcare facilities put a pause on cancer screenings . Additionally , some treatment procedures were also postponed in an attempt to re-deploy clinical resources , reduce potential exposures to COVID‐19 and preserve personal protective equipment . Now that most facilities have reopened , women have begun rescheduling their annual mammograms and other cancer screenings .
However , it is still incredibly important to continue educating community members about early cancer detection . As part of the newly formed Passaic County Cancer Task Force , representatives from hospitals , community and church organizations are planning events and outreach initiatives to study county health disparities related to cancer and find concrete ways to improve access to quality care .
An important approach is to continue to meet patients where they are and use trusted voices ( for example , faith-based organizations , local pharmacies , community physicians ) to continue to provide education about the importance of screening as well as ensuring women feel comfortable and safe when they come into a screening facility by maintaining COVID‐19 precautions . Also , using funds from the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection ( CEED ) Program , we were able to provide many underserved community members with breast cancer screenings .
Star and Barry Tobias Women ’ s Health Center , CentraState Healthcare System John Pellegrino , M . D . Breast Surgeon and Director , Star and Barry Tobias Women ’ s Health Center , CentraState
Healthcare System
In an effort to make preventive healthcare more convenient for women , especially after the challenges of the COVID pandemic , Centra-
State Healthcare System is now offering mammograms that do not require a prescription .
Patients who are 40 or older with no symptoms and due for a routine mammography screening can simply make an appointment with the Star and Barry Tobias Women ’ s Health Center . If an abnormality is detected , the nurse navigator will contact the patient ’ s physician or help find one . Self-referred mammography is covered by most insurances , just as it would be with a physician prescription .
By removing one step in the process , we are making it easier for women to get their annual mammograms . Thanks to this program , we have seen a spike in routine mammograms , and have been able to catch abnormalities that might not have been discovered had these patients waited to get a physician referral for mammography . If a potential problem is discovered , I am available on site for an immediate consult . This program is not available to women who need diagnostic mammograms , and those who use Medicaid will need a prescription for all imaging studies . . For more information , call 732-294-2778 .
Valley Medical Group The Icahn School of Medicine , Mount Sinai Laura Klein , MD , Director , Breast Center , Valley Medical Group Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine , The Icahn School of
Medicine , Mount Sinai
One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime . At Valley ’ s Breast Center , our team recommends women of average risk schedule a mammogram annually starting at age 40 , for early detection .
During the COVID‐19 pandemic , there was a decline in mammogram scheduling . We are now seeing an uptick in appointments attributed to the ease our patients experience when scheduling . Our center offers the option of making screening appointments with same day results because we recognize that some patients may be anxious if additional imaging is required . Same day result appointments are offered Monday through Friday , during specific daytime hours and must be requested when scheduling an appointment . We also offer screening mammogram appointments on weekdays , weekends , including early morning and evening hours .
This uptick is also attributed to the innovative technologies at our center as part of our commitment to superior breast cancer detection and an improved mammogram experience . We have introduced the SmartCurve breast stabilization system , which provides a more comfortable mammogram , and Clarity HD high-resolution 3D™ imaging technology , which provides the highest resolution 3D™ images to identify cancers early . We also offer the Quantra™ Breast Density Assessment Software , which provides more reliable breast density scores .
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