For more information about scheduling an appointment, call 907-212-4004 to speak with our breast cancer care navigator.
Breast Care at the Providence Cancer Center
At Providence, we provide comprehensive breast services and breast cancer treatment.
Breast Care at the Providence Cancer Center
At Providence, we provide comprehensive breast services and breast cancer treatment.
Our Approach
As Alaska’s only comprehensive cancer center, we provide all aspects of breast cancer care and support services. We offer some of the most advanced treatments in the state, including clinical trials to patient navigation and rehabilitation – all in a warm welcoming environment.
Breast Cancer Conditions We Treat
We provide comprehensive care for breast cancer and related conditions, including early-stage, invasive and high-risk cases:
- Benign breast disease
- Breast lump
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- Inflammatory breast cancer
- Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- Male breast cancer
- Metastatic breast cancer
Testing & Diagnostics
At Providence Alaska Medical Center our breast cancer specialists use advanced testing and diagnostic tools to accurately identify the type, stage and unique characteristics of your breast cancer.
Your care team may use several different tools and procedures to help determine your treatment plan.
A breast MRI uses non-radioactive contrast dye and a powerful magnetic field to produce high-resolution images of breast tissue. It helps evaluate abnormalities, such as lumps or other changes in breast tissue, that were found through a physical exam or a mammogram.
A breast ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the breast. It’s non-invasive, radiation-free and provides real-time imaging to help accurately diagnose abnormalities found through a physical exam or a mammogram, such as lumps or other changes in breast tissue.
HER2/neu is a protein that can make some cancer cells grow faster. In some cancers, especially breast cancer, high levels of HER2/neu mean that the disease could be more aggressive and more likely to come back after treatment. Testing for HER2/neu helps us guide you towards the most effective treatment decisions.
In this test, we check for the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors on the surface of breast cancer cells. If the receptors are present, your cancer is likely to respond to hormonal therapies, which block the cancer from using these hormones to grow. This crucial information can help tailor your treatment plans.
Mammograms are one of the most important tools doctors have in breast cancer prevention and early detection. Our services also include 3D mammography, which is similar to getting a standard 2D mammogram, except that the X-ray takes more images and combines them to create a clearer, three-dimensional view of the breast.
Providence Alaska Medical Center offers patients convenient access to leading edge diagnostic services and some of the most advanced breast cancer treatments and clinical trials. Specialized cancer nurse navigators work with our team of cancer professionals to coordinate the care for patients and help refer patients to community-resource providers.
Treatments and services include:
- Chemotherapy
- Hormone therapy
- Genetic counseling
- Infusion therapies
- Molecularly targeted therapy
- Oncology rehabilitation
- Nutritional counseling
- Radiation oncology
Surgical therapies involve an operation or procedure to remove cancer from the body. Surgery may be the main treatment for some invasive cancers, but it’s only one part of the entire treatment plan.
Surgical therapies include:
- Advanced axillary surgery techniques
- Aesthetic flat closure mastectomy
- Axillary lymph node dissection
- Excisional breast biopsy
- Excisional breast biopsy using targeted localization techniques
- Lumpectomy
- Mastectomy with immediate reconstruction
- Nipple-sparing mastectomy
- Oncoplastic surgery, hidden scar breast cancer surgery
- Risk-reducing mastectomy
- Sentinel lymph node mapping and biopsy
- Skin-sparing mastectomy
- Total mastectomy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from a source like X-rays or photons to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. Sometimes it’s part of a treatment plan that also includes systemic therapies and/or surgery. Radiation can be used to help ease a patient’s pain or discomfort.
Radiation therapies include:
- Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI)
- Hypofractionated whole breast radiation therapy
- Respiratory gating system
- Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
- Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)
Breast Cancer Screening and Prevention
Preventive screenings are the healthiest thing you can do for your breasts and your overall health. It’s important to understand your risk of cancer, how you can reduce your risk and when you should get screened.
Cancer Resources
Our cancer support services include a dedicated wig boutique and prosthetic fitting options to help patients feel confident and supported throughout their journey.
Genetic counseling, offered through the Providence Alaska Cancer Center, can help provide answers about the inherited risk for the disease.
We can help identify studies that may be beneficial for you and fully inform you of all potential benefits and risks of your participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mammograms are one of the most important tools doctors have in breast cancer prevention and early detection.
Recommendations for when you should schedule your mammogram depend on a variety of factors, including age and increased risk.
- Mammograms are recommended annually for women age 40-54.
- Women 55 and older can switch to mammograms every 2 years, or continue yearly screenings.
- In some cases, screening recommendations begin at an earlier age. If you have an increased risk for breast cancer, we recommend regular screenings. Your health care provider can help identify if you’re at an increased risk.
- You may choose to have a screening earlier and/or more often if you feel the benefit outweighs the potential concern.
We utilize digital mammography, which provides clearer, more accurate X-ray images. This means shorter examination times, quicker results, more convenience and less anxiety for you.
- Before scheduling a mammogram, please speak with your doctor about any recent problems or abnormalities concerning your breasts.
- If you’ve had previous mammograms, make them available to the radiologist. It’s helpful for the radiologist to compare previous images with the new ones.
- Don’t schedule your mammogram the week before your period if your breasts are usually tender during this time. The best time is one week after your period.
- Always inform your doctor or radiology technician if there’s a possibility that you’re pregnant.
- Don’t wear deodorant, talcum powder or lotion under your arms on the day of your mammogram. These can appear as calcium spots on X-rays.
Before the examination, you’ll be given a hospital gown or a loose-fitting drape that opens in the front. You’ll be asked to remove all jewelry and clothing above the waist.
A radiologic technologist will position you at the mammography unit to image each breast. The breast will be placed on a firm, flat X-ray surface and compressed with firm, gentle pressure from the mammography device. The compression causes discomfort for some women, but most find it to be painless.
Breast compression is necessary to:
- Allow the use of a lower X-ray dose
- Create a sharper picture · Hold the breast still, eliminating blurring of the image
- Spread out the breast thickness so that all tissue can be visualized
- Spread out the tissue so that small abnormalities won’t be obscured
While the breast is compressed, the radiologic technologist will take an X-ray, helping you change positions slightly between images. Generally, mammograms include a top-to-bottom view and a side view of the breast tissue. The process is repeated for each breast.
The examination process for a mammogram generally takes about 20 minutes.
When the exam is complete, you'll be asked to wait until the technologist evaluates the images to determine if more images are needed. If an image is unclear or if a finding seems suspicious, the radiologist may recommend further diagnostic studies.
If you were referred by another doctor or primary care provider, we’re happy to send a copy of your mammogram to them.
In the very earliest stages, breast cancer has no outward symptoms. Sometimes the earliest sign is a tiny lump, or mass, that’s only detectable on a mammogram. As the disease progresses, however, more noticeable changes might appear. These can vary widely – while a lump is the most common symptom, it’s by no means the only one.
Any of the following changes could be a warning sign of breast cancer:
- Bloody nipple discharge or unilateral discharge other than breast milk
- Dimpling, puckering, irritation or scaliness of the breast skin or nipple
- Lump in the breast or armpit area
- Nipple that turns inward, flattens out, pulls to one side or changes direction
- Pain or tenderness in the breast or nipple
- Swelling in all or part of the breast
- Thickening or redness of the breast skin
These symptoms may be signs of breast cancer in men as well as women.
If you notice a potential symptom of breast cancer, or if you’re concerned about any changes in the way one of your breasts looks or feels, please call your primary care provider or a breast care specialist.
While these symptoms don’t always indicate cancer and can sometimes be signs of something less serious, such as a cyst or an infection, it’s important to have a physician evaluate them right away. Don’t wait to see if they go away on their own.
Treating breast cancer successfully is much easier when it’s caught and treated early.