Breast Care Center
Breast Care Center Providers
Breast Care Center Locations
Vancouver, WA Locations
Information about the Breast Care Center
What is Breast Care?
Breast care is an essential part of every adult woman’s life. Modern breast care includes advanced diagnostics, screening tools, genetic testing, new surgical techniques and more, all in the hopes of minimizing cancer risk and effectively treating cancer should it occur. Even though modern technology has made it easier to detect breast cancer while in its early stages, the battle continues. It is estimated that 230,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed and 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year. There are almost 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
How We Are Different
At Vancouver Clinic, you’ll find modernized, compassionate breast care close to home. Our mammography technologists are highly experienced and skilled, resulting in a gentle and quick exam. A fellowship trained breast radiologist, practicing exclusively in breast imaging, performs all of our breast biopsies. Our multi-disciplinary team approach to treating breast cancer includes team meetings of our radiologists, surgeons, medical and surgical oncologists, pathologists and breast care navigator to provide the most comprehensive and individualized care available. From yearly screening mammograms to biopsies, surgeries, cancer therapy, and community support, we build our services around your physical and emotional needs, and are with you throughout all stages of breast care.
- 2D Mammography (with computer aided detection)
- 3D Mammography (with computer aided detection)
- Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
- Breast Ultrasound
- Ultrasound Guided Breast Biopsy
- Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- MRI Guided Breast Biopsy
- Screening results usually within 24 hours
- Diagnostic testing results same day
- A comfortable, private environment
- Mammopads used with every mammogram – for a gentler exam
What is 3D mammography?
3D mammography is a modification of current 2D mammography that produces a 3D image of the breast.
3D mammography allows radiologists to examine breast tissue one layer at a time. Instead of viewing all the complexities of your breast tissue in a flat image, radiologists can examine the breast a millimeter at a time.
3D images help radiologists better see the size, shape, and location of abnormalities, resulting in a better examination.
Do you offer 3D mammography?
Yes. With the addition of this new technology, The Vancouver Clinic’s Breast Care Center provides the latest advance in imaging quality for mammography.
What should I expect during my exam?
A 3D mammogram exam is very similar to a 2D digital mammogram. Just as with a digital mammogram, the technologist will position you, compress your breast under a paddle and take images from different angles.
During the 3D portion of the exam, the x-ray arm of the machine makes a quick arc over the breast, taking a series of breast images at a number of angles. This will only take a few seconds. Then there is one last 2D image of the breast obtained.
The technologist views images at her computer workstation to ensure she has captured adequate images for review by a radiologist.
What about radiation?
The radiation dose for the combined exam we are performing (standard 2D mammogram plus 3D mammogram at the same time) is greater than a standard mammogram alone, but less than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated limit for 2D mammography.
The FDA thoroughly considered the radiation dose concerns before approving 3D mammography for use and ruled that the benefit of the additional information available to the radiologist outweighs any potential risk.
Why should I get a mammogram? Nobody in my family has ever had breast cancer.
The vast majority (85%) of women diagnosed with breast cancer have NO family history. That is why we recommend yearly screening mammograms for all women over the age of 40. The goal of a screening mammogram is to find breast cancer early, before it can be felt. That is when breast cancer is the smallest and most treatable.
When should I begin screening mammograms for breast cancer?
The American Cancer Society recommends that most women should start yearly mammograms at age 40. One in six women diagnosed with breast cancer this year will be between the ages of 40 and 49.
I’m really worried. So many women in my family have had breast cancer. Is there anything else I can do?
It can be really stressful to have a strong family history of breast cancer. While there is no proven way to prevent breast cancer, there are some things that you can do to lower your risk of getting it. This includes getting regular physical activity, avoiding weight gain, and limiting alcohol intake. If you think that you have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than most women, talk to your doctor about it. Sometimes genetic testing is recommended and sometimes additional or early screening is suggested. If your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is estimated to be greater than 20 percent, yearly screening breast MRI may be beneficial in addition to yearly screening mammograms.
You will always feel cared for in the Breast Care Center, and will be treated with the utmost respect and compassion. Our multi-disciplinary team of radiologists, breast surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, pathologists, and breast care navigators provide you with care that is as comprehensive as it is compassionate. You will benefit from being part of a multi-specialty clinic, complete with a full spectrum of supporting services, and state-of-the-art technologies that help you find answers, form a plan, and move forward.
