Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, The Breast Center of Excellence, appearing in SENIOR Magazine

Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, The Breast Center of Excellence, appearing in SENIOR Magazine

Colorado Springs SENIOR Magazine

The Breast Center of Excellence

Article courtesy Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers

We all know someone with breast cancer. It could be a coworker, our dearest friend, or even our daughter. There’s a reason we all know someone with the disease: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In fact, the American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 2,840 women in Colorado would be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer last year, and about 520 women in our state would die from the disease.

Despite these statistics, there is good news. Thanks to early detection and state-of-the-art treatment options, the mortality rate is decreasing each year. At Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers (RMCC), we’re doing our part to raise awareness of the disease and to bring to our community the best treatment options available.

The Breast Center of Excellence at our Colorado Springs cancer center, launched in 2008, has changed the way we approach and treat breast cancer. It is designed to provide coordinated and comprehensive care for women with breast cancer in order to help them obtain information, education, treatment options, psychosocial support and cutting-edge treatment choices. Its Medical Director is Timothy Murphy, MD, FACP.

Our goal is to provide you with timely, in-depth and compassionate treatment recommendations. The Breast Center of Excellence is staffed by a dedicated patient care coordinator and experienced medical and radiation oncologists who have a special interest and expertise in breast cancer. In other words, the Breast Center of Excellence offers a new level of cancer care in our community. We want to take the hassle and confusion out of getting treated for breast cancer, while also ensuring you have the best treatment options available in the community.

Our patient care coordinator for the Breast Center of Excellence is Cindy Dalton. Cindy is an oncology certified nurse who understands that facing a diagnosis of cancer is one of the most challenging times of your life. She demonstrates the healing power of love, a core RMCC value, by guiding you with care and compassion through the often-confusing process from the start.

You’ll meet with both a radiation oncologist and a medical oncologist, and be provided with an array of other support services prior to and throughout your treatment, including education materials, access to an oncology social worker, and financial counseling. In addition, the Center provides comprehensive consultations through a multi-disciplinary approach, second opinions, diagnostic imaging, genetic counseling and psychosocial support services. And when it comes to treatment, we’ll give you the latest options, including cutting-edge radiation therapy and the latest clinical trials. With our US Oncology affiliation, the Breast Center of Excellence has access to the most innovative breast cancer trials in the country.

In addition to the services provided, the physical setting of the Breast Center of Excellence is different than what you might expect from a typical cancer care provider. For your initial consultation, Cindy will meet with you in a suite that is comfortable, warm and elegantly furnished.

We believe that when all of these facets of care, treatment and setting are combined, the Breast Center of Excellence makes for a unique cancer care experience. Plus it’s a part of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers network, where we pride ourselves on offering the latest treatments combined with the healing power of love.

So when you or someone you care about is diagnosed with breast cancer, let us guide you every step of the way. We invite you to take advantage of the services we offer at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers Breast Center of Excellence. For more information, please visit www.RockyMountainCancerCenters.com or call 719-577-2555.

Breast Cancer Risk Factors:

  • Gender: Breast cancer is more common in women than in men
  • Age: 80% of breast cancers are found in women over age 50
  • Ethnicity: White women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than African-American women, but African-American women are more likely to die of the disease
  • Genetic factors: About 5-10% of breast cancers are linked to changes (mutations) in certain genes, most commonly BRCA1 and BRCA2. That also means 90-95% are not, so even women not at genetic risk should watch for symptoms and have yearly mammograms
  • Family history of breast cancer
  • A person with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast
  • Earlier abnormal breast biopsy
  • Earlier breast radiation
  • Women who began having menstrual periods early (before 12 years of age) or who went through menopause after the age of 55
  • Women who were given the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol)