Delta Medix Breast Care Center seeks to revolutionize breast care options
Eliminating Excuses
Delta Medix Breast Care Center seeks to revolutionize breast care options
“ Thinking pink ” in our region just got a lot easier thanks to the team at Delta Medix Breast Care Center in downtown Scranton .
The center , which recently relocated to the Marketplace at Steamtown , offers a comprehensive program for early detection , diagnosis , and treatment of breast cancer , as well as services for those at high risk of developing the disease .
Upon entering the new Delta Medix facility , patients are immediately made to feel at ease with a tranquil color scheme throughout , as well as comfortable seating and a relaxed atmosphere . Part of the impetus for the move to the Marketplace was larger space available to house more medical features , such as ultrasounds and biopsies , under one roof , as well as ample free parking , with the added bonus of limited walking for less-mobile patients .
“ We ’ re trying to change the paradigm in this town to be more like what you would expect if you lived in a big urban area ,” said Dr . Kristine Kelley . “ We provide the kind of surveillance and screening , along with the diagnostic studies and treatment you would expect in a large urban area .”
One way that Dr . Kelley and Dr . Susan Summerton , the facility ’ s on-site radiologist , are trying to enhance breast care options in our region is through the use of threedimensional mammography , which takes multiple images of breast tissue in order to recreate a 3-D picture of the breast , allowing for a clearer image of breast masses , making it easier for doctors to detect breast cancer . Delta Medix offers immediate results for both screening and diagnostic mammograms in order to alleviate patient anxiety .
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“ Three-dimensional mammography has truly revolutionized imaging ,” Dr . Summerton said . “ It allows us to look at a breast in a more detailed fashion ; this helps us to find cancers that are smaller and at an earlier stage .”
Dr . Summerton explained that even with the 3-D technology , there are still challenges in detecting breast cancer . Dense breast tissue , which looks white on
We ’ re trying to change the paradigm in this town to be more like what you would expect if you lived in a big urban area .
the mammogram , makes it challenging to detect a cancer , which also often shows up as a white area on the mammogram . In these patients with dense breasts , research has shown that whole breast ultrasound is a very useful second study to perform after the screening mammogram and that is why Delta Medix started their whole breast ultrasound screening program .
“ As a radiologist , statistics say that out of every 1,000 mammograms I read , I should find four cancers ,” she said . “ What they are finding in women with dense breasts is that when they go in for ultrasounds , for every 1,000 ultrasounds performed , you find an additional four cancers that were invisible on the mammogram .”
“ Our program is really going to help our patients ,” Dr . Kelley added . “ When you find something that small that early , you have a lot of options for treatment . Early detection is important .
If something is questionable in a mammogram or ultrasound , Delta Medix offers a “ fast track ” program to patients , where they are immediately scheduled for a same-day or next-day biopsy to once again
quell patient fears .
“ About 80-85 % of our findings are done here on site ,” Dr . Kelley said . “ We try to move the scary things along as fast as possible because we know that people develop anxiety when a condition could possibly be serious .
“ Roughly half of women who are eligible to get a mammogram actually get them ,” she continued . “ In our offices , we have a poster asking patients if they had their mammogram yet with a pink phone underneath that connects you directly to our Breast Care Center . We ’ re trying to get people in to get checked . We ’ re making it so there ’ s no excuse not to get your mammogram .”
For more information , visit www . deltamedix . com .