We did it…Holy Cross and the ACS Enroll 196 for CPS-3!

On behalf of Maureen Mann, Executive Director of the Bienes Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital, and the American Cancer Society – thank you to everyone who enrolled in the CPS-3 study, promoted the study and/or recruited someone for enrollment.

Holy Cross Hospital’s official goal was 192; and we surpassed it with 196 enrollees!

If applicable, please remember:
1. To complete your paper or online survey within the next week if you have not yet done so.
2. To complete and submit the white postcard at the appropriate time in the future (applicable females only).
3. You and yours can still participate. The national goal is 300,000 enrolleees. For more locations and enrollment dates in South Florida and nationwide, visit:
http://www.cancer.org/research/researchprogramsfunding/epidemiology-cancerpreventionstudies/cancerpreventionstudy-3/cps3-locations

Tags: american cancer society, CPS-3
Posted in Cancer Support |

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Breast Biopsies 2013

The vast majority of women who undergo a screening mammogram have a normal study and return in six to 12 months for follow-up. Only two percent are usually referred for a biopsy. Prior to the early 1990s, all biopsies were performed in surgery, removing that part of the breast that contained the abnormality. Surgery could lead to a diminished breast size and scarring, with the scarring sometimes simulating signs of a malignancy, making it more difficult to interpret future mammograms.

Over the past twenty years, this has changed, and only a small number of women have surgical biopsies. Stereotactic biopsies (using mammographic guidance), ultrasound-guided biopsies, and MRI-guided biopsies (collectively called image-guided biopsies) have replaced the surgical biopsy. They have proven to be as accurate, less disfiguring and less costly. These procedures are all performed at the Dorothy Mangurian Comprehensive Women’s Center at Holy Cross HealthPlex and at Holy Cross Hospital. All of these procedures are accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), and very few centers have achieved this accreditation. The ACR rigorously evaluates the equipment, technical personnel and physicians before granting accreditation. The ACR recommends that the biopsies be done at accredited centers and that the mammograms and ultrasounds leading up to the diagnosis be performed at accredited centers as well.

The type of biopsy a patient needs is usually the choice of the radiologist and depends on which modality best displays the abnormality. The three types of image-guided biopsies are technically similar: they are done under local anesthesia, and the biopsy needles are similar. The procedures are extremely accurate. We have successfully removed cancers as small as 2mm with the stereotactic biopsy. The biopsies have few complications. Some women develop hematomas, and less than one out of 1,000 develop an infection. The good news is that the majority of the biopsies prove to be negative. In large part because of annual screening, of those biopsies that are positive, most are either non-invasive or Stage 1 – the earliest stage, with the best prognosis.

The non-surgical, image-guided biopsy has become an integral part in the diagnosis of breast cancer over the past 20 years, proving to be as accurate, more cost-effective and less disfiguring than a surgical biopsy.

To schedule an appointment for women’s imaging with the ACR accredited Dorothy Mangurian Comprehensive Women’s Center, call 954-351-7800 or visit HolyCrossWomensCenter.com.

Guest Blogger
Howard A. Rubinson, MD, Diagnostic Radiology
Dorothy Mangurian Comprehensive Women’s Center

Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support |

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See you at Relay for Life of HOPE – April 19 & 20

Join us at Relay For Life of HOPE Oakland Park
April 19, 2013
6:00PM
Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N Dixie Hwy, Oakland Park

Several Holy Cross Hospital teams and other organizations will be present.

Relay for Life is an American Cancer Society event. An organized, overnight community fundraising walk, it features:

•Teams of people camped out around a track
•Members of each team take turns walking around the track
•Food, games and activities provide entertainment and build camaraderie
•Family-friendly environment for the entire community

Because it’s a team event, individual participants are not required to be there the entire time. But it’s so much fun, you’ll find it hard to leave!

Click here for more information.

Posted in General Medical |

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Cancer Center Accredited with Commendation from ACOS Commission on Cancer

The Bienes Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital recently received official notification that it received a full three year Accreditation with Commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer from the survey that took place last November.

For the Patient and Community, the quality standards established by the CoC for cancer programs ensure:

•Comprehensive care including a complete range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
•A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best available treatment options
•Information about ongoing cancer clinical trials and new treatment options
•Access to prevention and early detection programs, cancer education, and support services
•A cancer registry that offers lifelong patient follow-up
•Ongoing monitoring and improvements in cancer care AND
•Quality care, close to home

Congratulations to our Cancer team!

 -Maureen

Maureen G. Mann, MS, MBA, FACHE
Executive Director
Michael and Dianne Bienes Cancer Center
Holy Cross Hospital

Tags: Accreditation, American College of Surgeons, Commendation, Commission on Cancer
Posted in Breast Cancer Surgery, Cancer Support, Colon Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer |

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