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Breast Cancer
Franklin Square's Breast Center offers an array of comprehensive services under one roof including:
- diagnostic mammograms and clinical breast exams
- state-of-art biopsies
- surgeons experienced in state-of-the-art surgical techniques
- multidisciplinary breast cancer team, including specialized radiologists, cancer surgeons, pathologist, breast reconstruction surgeon, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, nutritionist, therapists and oncology nurses
- clinical trials
- support services
Facts about Breast Cancer
It’s estimated that there were 4,000 new cases of breast cancer in Maryland last year. The good news is that the majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive. According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is close to 100 percent.
A woman can increase her treatment options and chances of survival by taking a proactive role in the early detection of breast cancer. This means participating in a combined schedule of self-exams, clinical exams (breast exams performed by health professionals) and mammograms. The Breast Center at Franklin Square specializes in offering these services and many others.
As a women establishes a routine for self-examining her breasts, it will become easier for her to notice any unusual changes. For clinical breast exams, the doctor or nurse feels the surface of the patient’s breasts, searching for possible lumps or other changes.
What are the symptoms?
Physical symptoms become apparent only as breast cancer grows. Symptoms can include:
- Discharge from the nipple
- Color change of breast, areola or nipple
- Dimpling, puckering, or scaliness of the breast, areola or nipple
- Increase in size or number of veins on one side of the chest
- Change in the shape or size of the breast
- Lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
A cancerous lump in your breast can feel like a dried pea. Usually, there is only one such lump. Tissues around the pea-like lump will move with it. Or, in the case of a thickening of breast tissue, the thickened tissue will not move freely. Ordinarily, pain is not a symptom of early breast cancer. A small percentage of breast cancers do not show up on mammograms, do not appear as a lump, and can occur in both breasts at the same time.
Need a breast services referral? Call our toll-free Cancer HelpLine at 1-877-715-HOPE (4673). Now two convenient locations to better serve you! At Franklin Square and in Bel Air!
