University of Virginia Health System

THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA BREAST TEAM: CARING FOR CANCER AND BEYOND

A team of healthcare providers collaborates across disciplines to provide effective, integrated care for each patient. The breast team includes experts in mammography and minimally invasive biopsy methods as well as surgeons, oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, oncology nurses and plastic surgeons, all with specific expertise in breast cancer. Also available to patients are specialists in pain management, breast cancer education, social services and psychosocial support.

Following are recent developments in breast cancer care and research at U.Va:

• Through a local partnership with the Alliance of Black Churches, investigators will study the impact of a new program, which features a culturally-sensitive exercise video and a counseling program on lifestyle issues, to assess modifiable breast cancer risk factors in African American women. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is funding the project. Contact: Dr. Susan Miesfeldt (804) 924-9647

• An expert in benign breast diseases, endocrinologist Richard Santen, working with a group of NCI-sponsored researchers, showed that estrogen could cause gene mutations that result in breast cancer. By studying how these changes occur, Dr. Santen hopes to determine how to prevent these changes. Contact: Dr. Richard Santen (804) 924-2207

• The Cancer Genetics Clinic at U.Va. provides genetic risk assessment and counseling, psychological counseling and support, and options for DNA banking and testing. Within the clinic, oncologist Susan Miesfeldt is studying the beliefs of a demographically diverse group of women regarding the causes of hereditary breast cancer. Educational materials for women at high risk for breast cancer will be developed based on the findings. Contact: Dr. Susan Miesfeldt (804) 924-9647

• Researchers in breast imaging are developing ways to find cancer earlier. Digital mammography uses computers to form an image of the breast and enhance the image for better readability. In addition, MRI imaging is being used to screen women at high risk and to characterize breast abnormalities. Contact: Dr. Jennifer Harvey (804) 924-9391

• A new surgical technique for breast cancer patients, sentinel node surgery, that enables the surgeon to remove selected lymph node or nodes, is being tested at U.Va. The initiative, directed by the American College of Surgeons and approved by NCI, will compare patients who undergo sentinel node surgery to those who undergo the traditional node removal in which all or most of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed. Contact: Dr. Marcia Moore (804) 924-9479

October 1, 1999