Carol Moro, 68, a retired teacher from Sea Bright, has always been diligent about her annual mammograms. Last year was no different. In February 2010, Carol had her mammogram at the newly renovated Jane H. Booker Women's Center at Riverview Medical Center. Two days later, she got a call to come back for a follow-up mammogram. Carol instinctively knew that something was wrong.
Further testing confirmed Carol did, in fact, have breast cancer. However, she underwent surgery and radiation treatment last spring and is now cancer-free. She credits her regular mammograms for the early detection of her cancer. And she credits the breast health team at the Women's Center for making her cancer experience as pain-free and stress-free as possible.
"It's overwhelming to hear you have cancer," she says. "But if you have to have cancer, that's the place to go."
High-Tech, Highly Skilled
With three Fellowship trained female radiologists specializing in breast imaging and all-digital mammography, the Women's Center at Riverview provides advanced technologies for detecting breast cancer early.
Digital mammography provides higher quality images and is better than traditional mammography in detecting cancer in dense breasts. This was especially important for Carol, whose cancer was subtle, explains Bokran Won, M.D., the Riverview radiologist and breast health specialist who detected Carol's breast lump.
"I call her my lifesaver," Carol says. "The lump I had could not be felt. If I didn't go for my mammogram, I might not have known about it until it was too late."
In addition to digital mammography and computer-aided detection, the Women's Center offers the complete range of diagnostic services for breast health. Radiologists at the Women's Center can even work with pathologists to provide same-day preliminary results of needle biopsies.
Coordinated Care
Carol benefited both from the patient-friendly focus and the spectrum of diagnostic services available at the Women's Center. "We were able to provide her the full scope of care, from the annual routine mammogram to additional views and a diagnostic workup, including ultrasound, biopsy, and breast MRI, all here at the Women's Center," Dr. Won says.
After her biopsy confirmed cancer, Carol consulted with Riverview breast surgeon Debra Camal, M.D. She had the breast lump and nearby lymph nodes removed. A few weeks later, she underwent another minimally invasive surgery to remove surrounding tissue to be sure they removed all the cancer. "I was sore, but I never had any pain," Carol says. "I couldn't believe how easy it was."
After that, Carol completed six weeks of radiation treatment under the care of radiation oncologist Hasmik Diratzouian, M.D. Throughout her experience, Carol says her physicians were excellent at communicating with her and with one another.
"Every single step of the way, everybody worked together," she says. "I never once felt like I was in it alone. I especially want to thank my doctors, the wonderful techs at the radiation center, and all the people at Riverview who were pulling for me and helping me along the way."
A Team Approach
Teamwork is at the heart of Riverview's breast cancer care. Each week, breast cancer specialists, including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, plastic surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists, meet to discuss patients who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
After reviewing each case, the panel provides patients and their physicians treatment options to give them the best chance to beat the cancer.
The weekly team meeting is reflective of the camaraderie throughout the Women's Center, Dr. Won says. "It's truly a team effort, and I sincerely believe that this multi-disciplinary approach is the best way to treat breast cancer."
About the Doctor
- Bokran Won, M.D.
Board certified in Radiology
Red Bank, NJ | 732-530-2305
