Breast Cancer Patient Stories
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UCLA Health’s Breast care specialists develop a personalized plan to help you recover. For more information, reach a cancer care specialist at 888-662-8252.
Catherine's Story
Breast cancer patient Catherine deMille drives 50 miles to the UCLA Breast Center in Santa Monica, but it's worth it - when she arrives, she knows she'll see every doctor on her care team in one visit and that she'll leave with a treatment plan, schedule, and the number of her patient navigator in case she needs assistance with any aspect of her care before her next appointment.
UCLA Breast Center, Santa Monica's approach is unique: on clinic days before patients arrive, a nine-member team, including an oncologist, radiologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist, reconstructive surgeon and pathologist, meet to discuss treatments, scans and test results and collectively determine the best care plan for each patient. Then they rotate into the patient's exam room one at a time for individual meetings. The team approach to breast cancer care reduces stress for patients like Catherine, and leaves them with more time and energy to focus on getting well.
From celebrating 5 years breast cancer free, to planning for a mastectomy
When Marisa Hall celebrated five years cancer-free in September 2022, she decided to treat herself by getting a breast augmentation. After getting approval from her doctor, she made an appointment with Ginger Slack, MD, a plastic surgeon at UCLA Health.
The appointment was for February, but in December, a mammogram and a subsequent biopsy showed the cancer had returned in Hall’s left breast. In addition, a new cluster was identified a couple of centimeters down.