Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2012 | Page 131

FASHION HEALTH & BEAUTY
take all the lymph nodes out of a lady’s

on a Monday morning at St Mary’s which

armpit during breast cancer surgery, we

sometimes means the patient is not on

identify the first gland where the trouble

our usual ward. He admitted: “It feels

might go, and take that gland out and

make-do-and-mend sometimes, rather

analyse it during the operation.

than being a smooth pathway for patients.

“We have been doing that successfully

The quality issue is not as good as I would

now for five years and have treated

have it, but it is out of my control. However,

more than 500 ladies with the technique.

overall I still feel patients get a good deal

It has saved a lot of women from having

here.”

a full operation when their nodes were
clear, so that has been a major advance.
“When the node is analysed during the

Donations to the Breast Care Nurses
Trust Fund at Applegates, St Mary’s
Hospital remain vitally important to help

operation and it turns out to be positive,

fund new equipment. Mr Sainsbury

we can complete an axillary operation

explained: “As a result of donations we

under the same anaesthetic so the

have bought an ultra sound machine for

patients do not have to come back in.

outpatients. One disadvantage is that we

Even in Southampton they haven’t got

are all on different sites – imaging, the

around to doing that yet.”

breast clinic and the breast care team

Although breast cancer oncologist

are spread around the hospital, and I

Dr. Jenny Marshall travels from

desperately want to bring them all together.

Southampton to St Mary’s once a week

It is difficult to consult with the radiologists

to oversee chemotherapy and assess

in the current geograph