Breast Cancer

New advanced mammogram technology is available from Our Lady of the Angels Health as part of our commitment to the fight against breast cancer. Compared to conventional mammography, the 3D mammography exams are better at finding early, treatable breast cancer and decrease the number of patients called back for additional testing.

Find out more about the advanced breast health imaging services on the Northshore by clicking here.

Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute delivers expertise in specialized cancer diagnosis, treatment and support through a partnership with Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. This collaboration increases access to care for women battling breast and GYN cancers, delivering the most advanced, coordinated care available in the Greater Baton Rouge region.

At the Breast and GYN Cancer Pavilion, you’ll find a team of experts who work together to provide accurate diagnosis and effective treatments in one convenient location.

Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute's exceptional specialists are ready to offer the highest quality breast and gynecological cancer care through the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion.

Lake Imaging Center in Baton Rouge offers a full range of medical and radiological imaging services, including:

• X-rays
• Fluoroscopy
• Nuclear medicine
• General and vascular ultrasounds
• Dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)
• 2D and 3D mammography
• Computerized tomography (CT) scans
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• And more

At the St. Dominic’s Center for Women’s Health and Madison Medical Imaging, St. Dominic’s offers mammography services with state-of-the art equipment and individualized care through two American College of Radiology-accredited locations.

Mammography services include:

• Digital Mammography
• Breast Ultrasound
• Bone Density
• Breast MRI (available at St. Dominic’s Hospital)
• Ultrasound Guided Biopsy
• Stereotactic Guided Biopsy
• MRI Guided Biopsy

Note: Mammography images from both locations are read and interpreted by the same team of St. Dominic’s physician partners, Lakeland Radiologists.

The latest in digital mammography, MRI, stereotactic- and ultrasound-guided biopsy, bone density screenings and other diagnostic tools are available to you in a soothing environment at Our Lady of Lourdes Health’s two breast imaging centers.

Acadiana women trust Lourdes with their breast health because no other imaging center in the area matches our level of expertise:

• American College of Radiology (ACR) Breast Center of Excellence
• 2 ACR Accredited Breast MRIs
• Comprehensive Breast Center in Lafayette in a convenient location
• Comprehensive Breast Center with a fellowship-trained radiologist specializing in mammography
• Mammograms read by in-house radiologists, not out-of-state doctors
• Extended hours to accommodate your schedule
  
  Click here for information on the Lourdes Breast Center.
  

At the St. Francis Kitty DeGree Breast Health Center, our team of 19 experienced breast health experts works with your private physician to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary breast care for a wide range of breast health needs and concerns. Our program is accredited as a Breast Center of Excellence through the American College of Radiology.

Services include:

• Tomosynthesis (3D) mammography
• Digital mammography with CAD (computer-aided detection)
• Breast MRI with CAE (computer-aided evaluation)
• Breast ultrasound
• Tomosynthesis (3D)/stereotactic-guided breast biopsy
• Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy
• MRI-guided breast biopsy
• Lymphedema therapy
• Bone density screening
• Mammograms read by six in-house radiologists, not by out-of-state doctors
• Quick turnaround time for follow-up appointments

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast. It can start in one or both breasts and occurs almost entirely in women, though men can get breast cancer, too.

In the United States, about 1 in 8 women and 1 in 833 men will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lives. Knowing your family history is important. Men and women with relatives diagnosed with breast cancer should have regular screenings. Take our quick risk assessment to find out what steps can help you maintain your breast health. Take time to squeeze it in.

Overall, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%. This means there is a 1 in 8 chance she will develop breast cancer. This also means there is a 7 in 8 chance she will never have the disease.

Breast cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged and older women. The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is 62.

Certain breast cancer risk factors are related to personal behaviors, such as diet and physical activity. Other lifestyle-related risk factors include decisions about having children and taking medicines that contain hormones.

Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms. This is why regular breast cancer screening is so important.

Different tests can be used to look for and diagnose breast cancer. If your doctor finds an area of concern on a screening test (a mammogram), or if you have symptoms that could mean breast cancer, you will need more tests to know for sure if it’s cancer.

Mammography is the most common screening test for breast cancer. A mammogram is a picture of the inside of the breast. Mammography may find tumors that are too small to feel with a simple breast exam. It may also find ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In DCIS, abnormal cells line the breast duct, and in some women may become invasive cancer.

There are three types of mammograms:

• Film mammography is an X-ray picture of the breast.
• Digital mammography is a computer picture of the breast.
• Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) uses X-rays to take a series of pictures of the breast from many different angles. A computer is used to make 3-D pictures of the breast from these X-rays.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used to screen women who have a high risk of breast cancer.

Breast ultrasound uses sound waves and their echoes to make computer pictures of the inside of the breast. It can show certain breast changes, like fluid-filled cysts, that can be harder to see on mammograms. Ultrasound is not typically used as a routine screening test for breast cancer. But it can be useful for looking at some breast changes, such as lumps (especially those that can be felt but not seen on a mammogram). Ultrasound can be especially helpful in women with dense breast tissue, which can make it hard to see abnormal areas on mammograms. It also can be used to get a better look at a suspicious area that was seen on a mammogram.

Women at Average Risk for Breast Cancer:
For screening purposes, a woman is at average risk if she doesn’t have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer, or a genetic mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer (such as in a BRCA gene) and has not had chest radiation therapy before the age of 30.

• Women between 40 and 44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year.
• Women 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
• Women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms. Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live at least 10 more years.
• All women should understand what to expect when getting a mammogram for breast cancer screening – what the test can and cannot do.

Clinical breast exams are not recommended for breast cancer screening among average-risk women at any age.

Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer:
Women who are at high risk for breast cancer based on certain factors should get a breast MRI and a mammogram every year, typically starting at age 30. This includes women who:

• Have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of about 20% to 25% or greater, according to risk assessment tools that are based mainly on family history (see below) 
• Have a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation (based on genetic testing)
• Have a first-degree relative (parent, brother, sister or child) with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, and have not had genetic testing themselves
• Had radiation therapy to the chest when they were between the ages of 10 and 30 
• Have Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome, or have first-degree relatives with one of these syndromes

The American Cancer Society recommends against MRI screening for women whose lifetime risk of breast cancer is less than 15%.

Typically, treatment is based on the type of breast cancer and its stage. Other factors, including your overall health, menopause status and personal preferences are also considered.

Some treatments, like surgery and radiation, are local, meaning they treat the tumor without affecting the rest of the body.

Most women with breast cancer will have some type of surgery to remove the tumor. Depending on the type of breast cancer and how advanced it is, you might need other types of treatment as well, either before or after surgery, or sometimes both.

Drugs used to treat breast cancer are considered systemic therapies because they can reach cancer cells almost anywhere in the body. Some can be given by mouth, injected into a muscle, or put directly into the bloodstream. Depending on the type of breast cancer, different types of drug treatments might be used, including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy.