Healthy You - Englewood Hospital and Medical Center

First in Breast
Cancer Care
“You have breast cancer.”
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center knows
these are the words every woman fears. At the
newly expanded Leslie Simon Breast Care and
Cytodiagnosis Center, women have access to the
diagnostic tools, treatment options, and personal
care they need to detect this disease at its
earliest stages—and beat it.
Recognized by the U.S. Congress as
a national model for the diagnosis and
treatment of breast cancer, The Leslie
Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis
Center combines a full range of services
under one roof. The dedicated staff
performs specialized tasks and collaborates
to provide timely results. Here are just some
of the tasks the staff conducts daily:
• Nurse practitioners perform clinical
breast exams on all patients
having mammograms.
• Radiologists read non-screening
mammograms at the time they are
conducted, perform ultrasounds and
image-guided biopsies, and interface
with breast surgeons and pathologists.
• Pathologists deliver immediate
diagnoses of image-guided needle
biopsies to speed treatment or put a
patient’s mind at ease.
“Women in our community receive
state-of-the-art care from compassionate
physicians, nurses, and technicians,” says
Violet Merle McIntosh, MD, Chief of
Breast Surgery and Associate Director of the
4 ¦ HEALTHY YOU Fall 2008
Leslie Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis
Center. “We are proud to be one of the few
centers offering all-digital mammography.
We also provide genetic counseling, genetic
testing, and bone density studies.”
DEDICATED BREAST MAGNETIC
RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
The Aurora ® 1.5T Dedicated Breast MRI
System at the Center is the only one in New
Jersey. This high level of care is important
for high-risk patients who require a 3D
image to be taken to better evaluate their
breast tissue.
The design of the dedicated breast MRI
allows images of the chest wall, both breasts,
and armpits to be taken in one scan. This
innovation provides clear images of areas
that are difficult to reach with a conventional
MRI, benefiting patients who are newly
diagnosed with breast cancer, those at high
risk, and others who have mammograms
that are difficult to read.
“While every patient’s needs and concerns
are different, they all have one thing in
common: they want their studies to be
Highlights of the Leslie Simon Breast
Care and Cytodiagnosis Center:
• The Center is capable of detecting the smallest signs of breast
cancer, and fi nds more instances of early cancer (Stage 0) than
most other New Jersey facilities.
• The Center’s High Risk Breast Cancer Program offers women
breast cancer risk assessments, genetic testing and counseling,
and a personalized screening and prevention plan.
• The Center was awarded Center of Excellence designation from the
American College of Radiology.
performed and interpreted in a timely
fashion,” says Mindy Goldfischer, MD,
Associate Medical Director of The Leslie
Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis
Center and Director of Breast Imaging at
Englewood Hospital. “We have the tools to
make that happen, and whatever the result,
the Center is here to make sure women
receive the best care available.”
For more information about breast care
services or to make a mammography
appointment, call (201) 894-3202.
Walk for a Cause
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
in October, Englewood Hospital and Medical
Center will host its annual 5K “Walk for
Awareness” event. Proceeds will go to help
provide free mammograms for uninsured and
underinsured women in our community.
For more information on the “Walk for
Awareness,” see page 8.