MDNews - Greater Boston

T HAT TEAM INCLUDES surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists connected to UMass Memorial Medical Group, medi- cal oncologists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a reproductive and endocrine oncologist, and a geneticist. Each patient can expect to be sitting down with a breast care physician within 48 hours of her referral. That appointment is often coupled with diagnostic imaging or biopsy and additional consultations with specialists, all located in the same building. Within hours of that visit, members of the team meet to discuss the best course of treatment to present to the patient. "We are very aware of making this as seamless and convenient a process for the patient as possible," says Jan Rothschild, MD, breast surgeon at the Center for Breast Care at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. The physi- cians at the Center for Breast Care also treat benign breast conditions. Whether a woman comes to the Center for Breast Care with a diagnosis or an undiagnosed concern, she typically meets first with a breast surgeon. Dr. Rothschild and Kevin O'Donnell, MD, also a breast surgeon and Chief of General Surgery at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, can each serve as a kind of primary care physician during a patient's treatment, addressing the surgical management before additional therapies are incorporated. The board- certified surgeons can provide a range of options tailored to the patient's individual disease and preference including breast con- servation — sometimes called lumpectomy with radiation therapy — or mastectomy, The Center for Breast Care at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center: Combining the Most Advanced Diagnostics, Including 3-D Mammograms, With Skilled, Compassionate Care By Maggie Behringer BREAST CANCER IS ONE OF THE MOST ANXIETY-INDUCING DIAGNOSES A WOMAN CAN RECEIVE. SHE WORRIES ABOUT HER FAMILY, HER HEALTH, HER WORK AND WHAT THE DIAGNOSIS WILL MEAN IN THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS. FROM THE FIRST 48 HOURS AFTER A PATIENT'S REFERRAL TO WELL PAST HER TREATMENT, THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM AT THE CENTER FOR BREAST CARE AT ST. ELIZABETH'S MEDICAL CENTER CONCENTRATES ON A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE: EASING THAT ANXIETY. "In one morning, a woman can see a surgeon, a radiation therapist and a medical oncologist. We then sit down on the same morning to look over the X-rays and the pathology slides and come to a conclusion as to the best treatment for that patient. It's done very efficiently and with a great deal of expertise." —Kevin O'Donnell, MD, breast surgeon and Chief of General Surgery at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center Jan Rothschild, MD, and Kevin O'Donnell, MD, surgeons at the Center for Breast Care, treat malignant and benign breast conditions and diseases. SPECI A L FE AT UR E 1 0 | Greater Boston MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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