Infection Control - St. Joseph Medical Center

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Oncology Like Mother Like Son? Male Breast Cancer Survivor Every year on Cancer Survivors Day, St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute celebrates with a reunion at an Orioles game, and one cancer survivor throws out the first pitch. This year, with more than 650 survivors, their families and staff present, a breast cancer patient had the honor, which means that a woman tossed out the ball—right? Wrong! Mike Nelsen, age 49, a breast cancer survivor and director of Sales at McCormick & Company, was the ceremonial pitcher. In November 2008, Nelsen noticed a small bump on his right breast. His internist referred him to Dr. Michael Schultz, director of The Breast Center at St. Joseph. A biopsy was positive. About one percent of all breast cancers occur to men. During his long, successful career, Schultz has treated about 30 men with the disease. Get it done Though Nelsen may have what most consider a woman’s disease—annually about 190,000 women contract breast cancer compared to 1,900 men—he had a man’s reaction. “I was quite surprised, but it is what it is. I wasn’t devastated. I knew we had to get the job done,” Nelsen said. His disease “was treated along the same paradigms as female breast cancer,” said Schultz. By December, Nelsen had undergone a full mastectomy and removal of some lymph nodes, done by Schultz. St. Joseph’s Breast Center provides comprehensive conveniences for diagnosis and care under one roof. A multidisciplinary conference gathers all the experts together to plan treatment; a nurse navigator guides patients through the journey. Nelsen’s next step was chemotherapy. Once again, he encountered a rare situation; a negative reaction to chemotherapy irritated his intestine. In the genes? So, The Breast Center arranged genomic testing of the tumor to determine the probability of his cancer recurring. The test, called Oncotype DX by Genomic Health, provided good news: his cancer had a low chance of recurrence; he could be treated without chemotherapy. Now on a standard, five-year regimen of Tamoxifen therapy, Nelsen joked, “Not only do I have a woman’s disease, I get hot flashes too.” “Mike is fortunate that we were able to utilize our multidisciplinary approach to tailor his breast cancer treatment to his particular tumor,” said Schultz. Genetics could reveal more answers, so Nelsen is undergoing genetic testing. His mother died of ovarian cancer, after having breast cancer in her 40s and melanoma in her 50s. His aunt had ovarian cancer. His 23-year-old daughter is already watchful and had a mammogram. “It seems like it runs in our family, but we don’t really have verification,” said Nelsen, who also has a twoyear-old adopted daughter. But, he doesn’t spend any time dwelling on ‘why me?’ “I’m generally healthy. It’s just a weird occurrence,” he reflected. “It creates a lot of awareness among my male friends.” ‰ Male Breast Cancer • Usually occurs between ages 60–70 • Risks include exposure to radiation, family history or high estrogen levels • Linked to cirrhosis or an extra X chromosome (known as Klinefelter’s syndrome) Genetic testing will help Mike Nelsen’s older daughter find out if she is at risk for breast cancer. Fall 2009 St. Joseph Medical Center / sjmcmd.org
Oncology A Cozy Courageous Feeling The recovery room nurses at St. Joseph believe in wrapping their patients in comfort and care—literally. Blankets of Courage debuted last spring when the nurses began making colorful fleecy blankets for cancer patients taking the next step from surgery to chemotherapy in The Cancer Institute’s atrium. These patients often have surgeries such as mastectomy, biopsy or creation of a port-a-cath site through which chemotherapy is received. Now they take that step wrapped in cozy creations, which ward off the chills brought on by chemotherapy, while providing spiritual and emotional warmth. “Understand you are not alone,”reads the poem written by Selina Clow, RN, that accompanies the blanket. She went on to pen, “Embrace yourself in the warmth, caring, comfort of the Blanket of Courage.” “There is a need for more than just treating patients post-operatively,” said Noreen Rodgers, RN, a PACU nurse. (PACU stands for Post Anesthesia Care Unit or recovery room.) “We’re moved all the time by how very young and very sick our cancer patients are.” “The blanket idea was just meant to be,” explained Betsy Niehoff, RN. “Everyone in our unit came together to make them. St. Joseph volunteers are now joining the effort.” Each patient’s name is embroidered on their blanket, and the nurses visit patients on their first chemotherapy day to make the presentation. Fundraisers among the nurses, doctors and the daughter of OR nurse Mary Mulvey, RN, who turned it into her senior project at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge, MD, make blankets possible. Anyone interested in contributing or volunteering for Blankets of Courage should contact the St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation at 410-337-1397. Embrace yourself in the warmth, caring, comfort of the Blanket of Courage. Help End Prostate Cancer! Prostate Cancer Awareness Month at St. Joseph 5K Run/1 Mile Fun Walk: Saturday, September 26, 8 a.m. Free Prostate Cancer Screenings: 9 a.m.–12 noon The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge is back for the third year on the St. Joseph campus. Co-sponsored by Chesapeake Urology Associates, this terrific event raises funds to help support ZERO—The Project to End Prostate Cancer. Family-friendly activities include a Stroller Stroll and a Kids’ Run, plus food, refreshments, exhibits and a chance to try out a da Vinci Robotic Surgical System on display. • $30 pre-race registration $35 race-day registration • Long-sleeved performance tees for the first 1,500 registered participants! ‰ Get a Free Prostate Cancer Screening! Men, have your prostate screened conveniently, quickly and expertly! Chesapeake Urology physicians and St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute are offering screenings for men who meet these eligibility requirements: • Ages 50-75 or • Age 40 or older if African-American or have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer • You have not had a screening in the last 12 months. • You have not had prostate cancer Screenings at St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute, first floor. For eligibility questions or an appointment, call 410-337-1479. Last year, more than 90 men were screened! Go to www.GreatProstateCancerChallenge.org SJMcmd.org / St. Joseph Medical Center Fall 2009
Page 1 and 2: Fall 2009 / sjmcmd.org Mission Poss
Page 3 and 4: Obstetrics Ooh Baby, The Secret’s
Page 5: Rapid Response Rapid to the Rescue!
Page 9 and 10: DIn te Spirit d Inspired giving thr
Page 11 and 12: ZEN & NOW GIFTS IS HERE! Visitors t
Page 13 and 14: EMergency Care Faster ER Care, Than
Page 15 and 16: orthopaedics High-Demand, High-Tech
Page 17 and 18: Techno Bytes Radiosurgery—A Giant
Page 19 and 20: Community & Family Programs SUPPORT

Infection Control - St. Joseph Medical Center

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