McLEOD HEALTH 24 OCTOBER 2023

Arrvind Raghunath, MD
McLeod Oncology and Hematology Associates

The McLeod Breast Health Center promotes continuity of care by providing the full spectrum of services for women, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and support. The goal is to make the individual patient’s entry into the system as painless and seamless as possible. McLeod also strives to provide personalized breast cancer care since one treatment does not fit all. The team individualizes a plan for each and every patient’s needs.

Dedicated to the early detection and treatment of breast cancer, McLeod is the only Breast Health Center in the area accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.McLeod received this prestigious acknowledgment in 2010 in recognition of the high-quality care it offers to breast cancer patients – the first and only breast program in the region to achieve this designation.

Annually, breast cancer is the most commonly treated cancer at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Because a tremendous volume of breast cancer patients are cared for at McLeod, the hospital, staff, and physicians have put considerable effort into ensuring state-of-the-art care for women with breast cancer and that the NAPBC standards are met or exceeded.

Facets of the comprehensive breast cancer program at McLeod include all of the following:

Breast Imaging

Today’s 3D mammograms pick up tiny cancers that are not just treatable, but curable. So, most of the women, who are diagnosed with breast cancer at McLeod, are detected at a very early stage. These women have a totally normal life expectancy. As surveillance and imaging has improved, the McLeod team finds and treats cancer earlier.

McLeod Physicians believe at age 40, a woman should start having yearly mammograms. However, any woman with a breast abnormality should definitely be seen by their doctor. If a woman has a first-degree relative with the BRCA gene (mother, sister), then the McLeod Breast Team advises to begin annual screening mammograms 10 years earlier than the family member who was diagnosed. So, if your mother was diagnosed at 38, then at 28, you need regular screening.

As an American College of Radiology Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center, McLeod is also pleased to offer the following modalities which have been accredited by the American College of Radiology:

• 2D & 3D Mammography
• Breast Ultrasound
• Breast Ultrasound Biopsies
• Stereotactic Breast Biopsies
• Breast MRI

Oncology Breast Nurse Navigator

After a diagnosis of cancer, patients may feel overwhelmed and confused. Often, treatment of this disease can be complicated. Tracey O’Neal, RN, CBCN, the McLeod Breast Oncology Nurse Navigator, is there to help at every step of the way. Tracey’s primary goal is to help patients on the cancer journey, from diagnosis to survivorship. She works with patients and their doctors, helping to “navigate” them through appointments with physicians and follow-up care. She also provides education about breast cancer and treatment options and assists with locating resources within the McLeod Health system and community.

Breast Tumor Board

At the McLeod Center for Cancer Treatment and Research, breast cancer patients receive a second, third, fourth and fifth opinion on their treatment plan from the Tumor Board, whose mission is to provide patients not only with peace of mind but also the best cancer treatment plan possible for each specific diagnosis.

Each week at McLeod, physicians representing Medical Oncology, Pathology, Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and Surgery, discuss every breast cancer patient’s case presented to the tumor board. Together, they recommend the best treatment plans for patients with breast cancer. During the Breast Tumor Board meeting, these cancer specialists review the pertinent imaging and diagnostic studies, as well as the pathology, and listen as the patient’s case is presented by their physician, including the history and physical findings. All members of the team give their input and the plan is put into place.

Breast Surgery

When a woman faces breast cancer, the first goal is to perform an operation that removes the breast cancer. The second goal is to give the patient a cosmetic outcome that results in the breast looking as natural as it did before the surgery or even better in some cases.

If a woman undergoes a mastectomy, she may be interested in breast reconstruction surgery which involves the expertise of a plastic surgeon. At McLeod Regional Medical Center, patients are offered multiple options for breast reconstruction. These options include implant-based reconstruction using silicone or saline breast implants to recreate the breast or flap-based reconstruction in which the patient’s own tissue is used to reconstruct the breast (including DIEP).

Breast Cancer Research and Oncology Treatment

Discovering new ways to treat and prevent cancer is the goal of medical research. At McLeod, cancer research efforts were first developed more than 40 years ago with the arrival of Oncologist Dr. Michael Pavy. Today, the McLeod Center for Cancer Treatment and Research offers patients access to three dedicated cancer research nurses — Jennifer Floyd, RN, Michelle Gandy, RN, and Betsy Harris, RN.

One cancer that has benefitted greatly from research is breast cancer. Thanks to clinical trials, breast cancer research continues to evolve with multiple advancements in care. There are now more chemotherapy agents and targeted treatments to help women than ever before. McLeod Cancer Specialists also understand that there are very specific pathways cancer cells navigate for their survival. This research has led to the development of drugs that can block parts of those pathways and suppress the cancer. Additionally, immunotherapy is available which arms the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. This form of therapy helps the immune system recognize the cancer, and then stimulate an intense response against the tumor. As research on breast cancer continues, these discoveries will help guide treatment in the future and improve survival.

Radiation Oncology Treatment

Radiation therapy is necessary for many women with breast cancer. Most women who undergo a lumpectomy are receiving radiation to eradicate any microscopic cancer cells in the breast that remain after surgery. This significantly decreases the risk of recurrence of cancer within the breast.

Traditionally, the post-lumpectomy radiation would be delivered, five days a week for five to six weeks. But, thanks to clinical trials we now know there is no increased risk of recurrence in the women who receive a shorter course of radiation. Today, many women, who have early-stage breast cancer, can actually be treated with a technique called hypofractionated radiation therapy where the length of radiation treatment is reduced to three to four weeks, making it more convenient for patients.

Genetic Testing

At the McLeod Cancer Center, we offer pre-test counseling about genetics, obtain a collection of a patient’s family history, and determine if they are suitable for genetic testing. Our primary goal is to identify individuals and families at increased risk of cancer in order to promote awareness, early detection, and cancer prevention. Genetic counseling for individuals at risk for breast cancer includes: assessing the risk of developing breast cancer based on a detailed cancer-focused personal and family medical history; determining whether the history is suggestive of an inherited cancer syndrome; coordinating genetic testing with outside reference labs for patients with appropriate genetic risk; and reporting and explaining the results of the genetic testing to the patient and their physician. Genetic testing involves a sample of blood that is sent to a genetics lab for analysis. The lab results are then compared with the patient’s DNA to determine whether they have any of the cancer-causing genes.

Advancements in early detection with the latest technology and a dedication to ensuring the national standards in breast cancer treatment are met or exceeded, demonstrates the McLeod Health commitment to improving survival and access to care.

For more information on breast cancer, please contact Tracey O’Neal at 843-777-5418.

Dr. Arrvind Raghunath cares for patients with Dr. Rajesh Bajaj, Dr. Michael Pavy, Dr. Sreenivas Rao, Dr. Jamie Smith, Dr. Ravneet Bajwa and Dr. Viji Motilal Nehru at McLeod Oncology and Hematology Associates, a division of McLeod Regional Medical Center. Dr. Raghunath joined McLeod In September 2023 following the completion of his Fellowships in Hematology and Medical Oncology and Leukemia at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. He received his medical degree in 2015 from SRM Medical College and Research Center in Chennai, India, and completed his Internal Medicine Residency in 2019 at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio.