Reaching Rural Communities
The James Mobile Mammography unit has been screening women for breast cancer since 1988. But with the support of the Spielman Fund, there is now a second mobile unit, and the service has a greater presence in rural areas, such as Appalachia. Creative partnerships with county health offices, local festivals and other events are reaching women who live in areas with very limited if any access to mammography, many of whom are receiving their first breast cancer screenings.
Enhancing Supplemental Care
The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Patient Assistance provides funding for support of breast cancer patients, such as outpatient massage therapy. The fund sponsors portions of the annual Breast Cancer Survivorship Conference, the Ask the Experts: Living Well With Advanced Breast Cancer conference and a monthly breast cancer support group.
Outfitting Satellite Locations
The Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center opened new mammography locations over the past year in Westerville, Hilliard (Mill Run), Dublin and a larger facility in Grove City that includes oncology rehabilitation, a high-risk breast clinic, a diagnostic breast clinic and follow-up clinics. The Spielman Fund purchased breast imaging equipment for several of these facilities.
Improving Screenings for All Women
The Spielman Fund purchased the first game-changing 3D-mammography technology, called tomosynthesis. Used for annual breast screening exams, tomosynthesis photographs 1 millimeter slices of breast tissue, akin to a CAT scan. The benefits are two-fold: It improves tumor detection by 30% and concurrently improves the ability to determine when patients do not have a tumor, reducing return visits by more than 25%. This sophisticated technology now outfits The James’ entire mammography network, including all outpatient centers and both mobile units.
Detecting More Cancers
Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) is an imaging modality for radiologists to perform screening in women with dense breast tissue. Used when the effectiveness of traditional mammography is limited, ABUS has been effective in detecting cancers that are well hidden. Demand for this service has been rapidly increasing at The James, creating a need for a second unit and location. With Spielman Fund support, the new James Mammography Westerville site is offering ABUS exams to a growing number of patients.
Staying State-of-the-Art
In 2018, the Spielman Fund underwrote a major technology upgrade for the SSCBC’s Multimodality Conference where physicians meet weekly to review patient cases. The upgrade included a state-of-the-art control system, a large monitor, highly sensitive microphones mounted in the ceiling, in-room acoustic panels and more.
Helping to Relieve Lymphedema
Many breast cancer patients experience fluid retention in the limbs as a side effect of surgery or radiation treatment to the lymph nodes. Lymphedema, a condition that can affect any part of the body, usually results in heaviness and swelling of the upper extremity after treatment for breast cancer and can be a source of discomfort, decreased range of motion and diminished quality of life. Several innovative surgeries, some of which were pioneered by Ohio State’s plastic surgery team, offer hope to patients by reducing the risk of developing lymphedema or improving symptoms of lymphedema if they arise.
Roman Skoracki, MD, is particularly excited about a prophylactic bypass procedure offered to patients who require an axillary lymph node dissection. This procedure has reduced the risk of developing lymphedema from 40% to approximately 4% in James patients at the time of the initial surgery. “This is made possible by the provision of specialized equipment that is not available in most facilities and includes a near infrared camera that allows us to visualize lymphatic channels that are smaller than 0.5 millimeters, or the size of a small mechanical pencil lead,” Skoracki says. The Spielman Fund purchased a second camera to help meet rising demand for this procedure.