Breast Cancer Care

According to the American Cancer Society, localized breast cancer has a 99% rate of survivorship. That’s why our team at Dignity Health provides advanced screenings and diagnostics, empowering patients as they take action for their health. Our dedicated breast cancer specialists provide compassionate care that is tailored to each patient, wherever they may be on their cancer journey. 

Our multidisciplinary team of specialists provides innovative care for a wide range of breast cancers, using advanced research and state of the art technology to deliver precise diagnoses. We offer a range of diagnostic services, such as mammograms, and ultrasounds, that are essential to early detection. Breast cancer patients can receive personalized care with both non-surgical and surgical treatment options.

Overview of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting American women, after skin cancer. Each year in the United States, over 300,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. One out of every 8 American women will develop some form of breast cancer during her lifetime.

While breast cancer can also affect men, this is very rare.

Partnering with a doctor you trust offers the best chances of finding breast cancer earlier, beginning appropriate treatment sooner, and healing. Though breast cancer is common among women, if diagnosed early, it has an over 99 percent survival rate.

Our expert oncologists at Dignity Health are here to provide personalized care for breast cancer. Find a Doctor near you.

Symptoms

Mammogram screening finds many breast cancers before symptoms develop. When symptoms are present, the most commonly reported one is a lump or mass in the breast tissue.

Others include:

• Change in breast shape or size
• Irritation or dimpling of the breast skin
• New lumps in the breast or armpit
• Nipple discharge
• Nipple inversion
• Redness or flaky skin around the nipple area
• Thickening or swelling of the breast
• Unusual breast sensitivity or pain

Causes

Cancers are caused by damage to the DNA of your cells.

Many things can increase the likelihood of this damage, but experts don’t yet fully understand what causes breast cancer in some people and not others.

Research is ongoing, and scientists continue to make important discoveries, including new therapies and screening tools.

Risk Factors

• The leading risk factor for breast cancer is being a woman. Other risk factors include:
• Age: risk increases with age
• Race: the risk is higher for Caucasian people
• Family or personal history of breast cancer
• Taking hormone replacement therapies
• Genetics: 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are related to mutations in genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2
• Early menstruation (before age 12)
• Late menopause (after age 55)
• Dense breast tissue and other breast conditions
• Exposure to DES (diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic form of estrogen prescribed to pregnant women in the 1940s and 1950s to prevent miscarriage
• Previous radiation therapy in the chest area
• Lifestyle factors such as being overweight, not exercising, and drinking alcohol

Prevention

Breast cancer can’t always be avoided. However, you can take steps both to reduce your risk and to make sure that if you do develop it, you are diagnosed as soon as possible.

Many lifestyle choices can lower your risk of developing breast cancer, including:

• Breastfeeding: the longer you breastfeed, the greater the protective effect
• Not smoking, or quitting if you already smoke
• Increasing physical activity
• Avoiding pollution and exposure to radiation and other carcinogens (cancer-causing substances)
• Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy diet
• Discussing your contraceptive and hormone therapy options with your doctor to see if limiting your use of synthetic hormones is possible
• Reducing your alcohol intake

In addition to these steps, regular self-examination and medical screenings to check for breast cancer are some of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk.

Mammogram Services

Getting a mammogram is still the gold standard for breast cancer detection and the American Cancer Society recommends an annual mammography screening for all healthy women beginning at age 40. Why is it so important? Mammograms can help doctors detect abnormalities and changes in breast tissue before they start to cause symptoms.

Early detection and treatment of breast cancer can be life saving, so let us make it easy for you to take the preventive screening that could make all the difference.

To schedule a mammogram, ask your doctor or call Mercy’s Imaging Department at (209) 564-3160.

Breast Self-Exam (BSE)

BSE is an option for women starting in their 20s. Women should be aware of the benefits and limitations of BSE. It is okay not to do BSE, or not to do it on a regular schedule. Research has shown that BSE plays a small role in finding breast cancer compared with finding a breast lump by chance.

Women should report any changes in how their breasts look or feel to a health expert right away (but remember that most of the time these breast changes are not cancer). If you choose to do BSE, you should have your doctor or nurse check your method to make sure you are doing it the right way.

Clinical Breast Exam

Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam as part of a regular exam by a health expert at least every three years. After age 40, women should have a breast exam every year. It is useful to schedule the clinical breast exam shortly before the mammogram.

Comprehensive Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast cancer a leading cause of death in women. However, if breast cancer is found in the early stages, it is highly treatable. Early detection through screening, including an annual mammogram, can save your life. Treatment options depend on the stage of breast cancer. 

At Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center Merced, the goal of breast cancer treatment is complete remission, meaning there are no signs of cancer in the body. Find a Doctor with expertise in breast cancer treatment today.

Breast Health

We offer comprehensive breast health management - from screenings to treatment.

Our services include:

• Screening and diagnostic digital mammography
• Breast ultrasound
• Hereditary cancer risk testing (genetic testing)
• Management of breast pain, breast lumps, fibrocystic changes
• Minimally-invasive biopsy procedures
• Breast cancer treatment and management
• Clinical trials

Radiation Therapy

You may need radiation therapy before or after surgery to shrink tumors or destroy remaining cancer cells. Radiation can also help relieve symptoms in advanced breast cancer and treat cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body.

The Mercy Cancer Center is the only Commission on Cancer Accredited facility in Merced that offers advanced radiation therapy with the state of the art Elekta Versa delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), sterotacticradiosurgery (SRS), sterotactic body radiation (SBRT), and hypofractionated radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy stops cancer cells from growing or kills them outright. Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center Merced offer patients the newest options in chemotherapy designed to reduce side effects.

Chemotherapy is used before and after surgery, and may be combined with radiation and targeted therapies.

Targeted Therapies

Targeted therapies take advantage of protein markers that are present on cancer cells. These therapies identify and attack only cells that have the markers. Because they lack the markers, normal cells are not harmed. Sometimes targeted therapies can work after chemotherapy has failed. 

Targeted therapies are commonly used to treat HER2-positive breast cancers and hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancers grow in response to the hormones progesterone and estrogen. Hormone therapy blocks hormone receptors on cancer cells or lowers hormone levels in the body to slow the growth of these cancers. 

Understanding Your Breast Cancer Treatment Options 

Your Dignity Health doctor will tell you about the side effects, risks, benefits, and goals of each of your breast cancer treatment options. Your personal preferences, biopsy results, and breast cancer stage will help determine the right treatment for you. Trust us to partner with you in your fight against cancer — reach out to a doctor today.