CentraState - Healthy Directions

6 Holiday 2014 Healthy Directions "I had no idea when I wrote a chapter for a textbook on interventional radiology that it would open the door to helping China improve breast health for millions of women," says Kenneth Tomkovich, MD, medical director of Breast Imaging and Interventional Radiology at CentraState and Freehold Radiology Group. In 2009, the doctor contributed "Forward Perspective: Interventional Radiology of the Breast" in the worldwide textbook "Interventional Radiology in Women's Health." By 2010, his work attracted the attention of China's most highly regarded radiologists and breast surgeons who personally invited him to visit their hospitals and offer educational seminars to their doctors. In July 2014, Dr. Tomkovich returned from his third visit to mainland China, where he spoke to groups of physicians, provided on-site training on newer technology and acted as a keynote speaker on issues of minimally invasive breast cancer treatment during an international breast cancer symposium. During this visit, he shared some of the newest and least-invasive procedures doctors are using at CentraState for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, including breast cryoablation (tumor freezing). "The first time I visited China, I didn't realize some of their hospitals were significantly behind what we were doing in the U.S. to diagnose and treat breast cancer," Dr. Tomkovich explains. His most alarming discovery was the fact that surgeons routinely performed mastectomies on women with benign breast tumors. "This was done simply because they did not have the technology or understanding of less invasive measures to successfully make diagnoses or excise tumors while preserving the breast," Dr. Tomkovich says, but explains that today, however, this is no longer the case. In 2012, CentraState hosted a breast education and training program for eight top breast health physicians from China. The group included some of the country's most respected doctors, including Gao-Jun Teng, MD, PhD, dean of the Medical School of Southeast University in Nanjing and president of the Chinese Society of Interventional Radiology. During their stay, Dr. Tomkovich provided firsthand clinical training on comprehensive imaging and interventional techniques for diagnosing breast cancer. "The doctors were amazing—they picked up our techniques very quickly. Their main concern was to improve the quality of women's health for their patients. The mutual respect and friendship gained that week will last a lifetime," Dr. Tomkovich says. China is experiencing a surge in breast cancer incidence and mortality due to longer life expectancy, the newer use of post-menopausal hormonal therapy and women having fewer children. "As in the U.S., mortality rates are compounded by a later stage of cancer diagnosis," Dr. Tomkovich explains. "But access to modern cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment are the keys to improved outcomes." Dr. Tomkovich says the introduction of an interdisciplinary approach to patient care and more updated imaging and interventional techniques empowers doctors to detect breast cancer at earlier and more curable stages. "In just four short years, I have seen the Chinese improve their overall quality of breast health care 10 times over, which is no small feat in such a vast country," he reports. "Their commitment, progress and ability to diagnose and treat breast cancer using far less invasive measures improve each day. It is my honor to represent the CentraState team in forging this partnership to help millions of women." For more information about CentraState's radiology services, including interventional radiology, computed tomography, ultrasound, X-ray, and nuclear medicine, call 732-294-2934 or visit www.centrastate.com/radiology. HD CentraState Radiologist Partners with Doctors in China Kenneth Tomkovich, MD, demonstrates breast imaging techniques to a group of radiologists from China during their visit to CentraState in 2012.

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