Karen Paolicelli, 50, is an avid Pop Warner football fan. A mother of five, she has spent years involved with the organization, watching her girls cheer, her three sons play, and her husband coach. So she understands how important it is to a team's success to have skilled individuals who communicate and work well together.
Over the past 24 months, the Toms River resident has come to count on another team: the one that related her breast cancer. That team is made up of physicians affiliated with Ocean Medical Center, including OB/GYN Deborah Saez-Lacy, M.D., surgical oncologist Tarun Bhandari, M.D.; radiation oncologist Nathan Kaufman, M.D.; interventional radiologist David Feng, M.D.; and dedicated breast radiologist Lance Dillon, M.D.
"Some of my family and friends tried to push me to go to New York for treatment, but I wanted to be close to my children," Karen says. "I love all my doctors here. They really took great care of me."
It all began when Karen noticed a lump in her right breast. A mammogram showed a suspicious lesion, which was needle biopsed by Dr. Bhandari. The results were positive. Karen was diagnosed with an invasive breast cancer.
Dr. Bhandari sent Karen for a breast MRI at Ocean. "If a woman's breast is dense or if there is a suspicion of more than one spot, I will request a breast MRI prior to surgery," he explains.
Karen's breast MRI revealed another tumor in the same quadrant of her breast. Her treatment included a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and, after that weekly treatment with herceptin for five months.
"For the vast majority of women, lumpectomy and radiation allows them to keep their breast, with a very good to excellent cosmetic results and absolutely no compromise in overall cure rate compared with mastectomy," says Dr. Kaufman.
Adds Dr. Amin, "Chemotherapy and herceptin were administered to reduce the future risk of cancer reoccurrence."
Karen has only good things to say about her experience. "After my last radiation therapy treatment, Dr. Kaufman walked me out to my car and told me how well I had done," she says. "It made me feel like I was part of a family."
Today, Karen is feeling even stronger. Recently, she and her family participated in a walk-a-thon to raise money for breast cancer research with her son's Pop Warner team. "I'm so lucky to have found the best team of doctors right here, close to home."
About the Doctors
Girish S. Amin, M.D.
Board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology
Brick | 732-840-8880
Tarun Bhandari, M.D.
Board certified in General Surgery
Point Pleasant | 732-701-4848
Nathan Kaufman, M.D., FACRO
Board certified in Radiation Oncology
Brick | 732-836-4109
