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Expert Breast Care at Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo

We know that a breast cancer diagnosis can be frightening. It can be difficult to know who to turn to for help. Our world-class providers and support team are experts in breast cancer treatment and care. We provide many effective treatment options for breast cancer. These include surgery to remove any tumors and cancerous tissue, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy including IORT. Since we also offer access to new therapies and clinical trials, your treatment plan can be as advanced as possible and better developed to treat breast cancer.

26732 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suite 171, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
2252.2 miles away
949-364-6900

Expert Breast Care at Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo

We know that a breast cancer diagnosis can be frightening. It can be difficult to know who to turn to for help. Our world-class providers and support team are experts in breast cancer treatment and care. We provide many effective treatment options for breast cancer. These include surgery to remove any tumors and cancerous tissue, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation therapy including IORT. Since we also offer access to new therapies and clinical trials, your treatment plan can be as advanced as possible and better developed to treat breast cancer.

26732 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suite 171, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
2252.2 miles away
949-364-6900
Our Approach Advanced Breast Health Clinical Services Accreditation Cancer Genetics Cancer Genetics Clinical Services Genetic Counselors
Our Approach

In a single, convenient location, patients will find the individualized care that distinguishes Mission Hospital as a leader, including the following leading-edge imaging technology:

  • Exclusive 3D Tomosynthesis
  • PET/CT
  • Breast MRI with Computer Assisted Detection (CAD)

Advanced targeted radiation therapy including Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

Mission Hospital also provides the following to our patients:

  • Nurse Navigators to help patients through the continuum of care while providing emotional support, education and access to resources
  • Cancer genetic consultations
  • Education Center
  • Resource Library with extensive cancer information
  • Appearance Center with products for comfort and healing for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Mission Hospital believes in a team approach to provide you with exceptional health care. We work together as a team and these caring experts utilize the most advanced therapies available to treat breast cancer and to preserve healthy tissue.

  • Breast Surgeons
  • Medical Oncologists
  • Radiation Oncologists
  • Pathologists
  • Radiologists
  • Certified mammography technologists
  • Certified Cancer Genetics Counselors
  • Certified Cancer Navigators
  • Clinical Research Professionals
  • Rehabilitation Specialists

Meeting your personal needs

Since each patient’s treatment plan focuses on individual medical need, the Breast Program offers many additional services that can assist patients and their families throughout their treatment program and beyond. Navigation services include:

  • Clinical Trials
  • Financial Counseling
  • Genetic Counseling
  • Interpreter Services
  • Library and Resource Center
  • Pastoral Care
  • Psychosocial Counseling
  • Psychosocial Distress Screening
  • Rehabilitation Programs
  • Social Services
  • Support Groups
  • Lymphedema testing
  • Survivorship Counseling

The search for a cure

As part of our dedication to providing the most advanced, comprehensive breast health services, we continually seek the best care for our patients. That includes the search for a breast cancer cure. Mission Women’s Wellness Center provides select patients the opportunity to participate in research and clinical trials that provide access to the latest in breast cancer treatment and prevention.

Mission Women's Wellness Center offers complete breast health services - including prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer - in a warm, secure environment to make you feel as comfortable as possible.

Knowing breast cancer can take a toll on the mind and spirit of both patient and family, we also offer Spiritual Care services that support the needs of many. This exceptional care is delivered with the expertise, compassion and support.

To learn more about our Breast Health Services, please make a selection from the menu on the left or call at 949-364-6900, ext. 2.

Mammography Center

Located within Mission Women's Wellness Center, Mission Imaging Center's caring staff is available to serve you. We are pleased to have our Tomosynthesis machines, also known as 3D mammography, the most advanced form of mammography available today. Accredited by the American College of Radiology and staffed with breast radiologists, you can be confident your results are read and interpreted correctly.

Diagnostic services

Mission Imaging Center offers a complete range of breast diagnostic services. These advances help to identify cancer earlier, optimizing success.

Genetics program

The Genetics Program gives women in south Orange County a powerful ally against breast cancer. Evolving beyond the once-common approach of watchful waiting, our advanced genetic counseling and testing empowers women with an active prevention, intervention and risk-reduction program.

For women identified at risk of developing breast cancer, this program provides invaluable preventive information and resources. Our licensed genetics counselors will help you understand your risk and how to proactively manage your breast health.

Nurse Navigator

Throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery, our certified Nurse Navigators will help you navigate your journey every step of the way. She will assist you in understanding the process, enable you to be an active participant in your care, and be available as a constant resource for information, services and support. Click here to complete a survey regarding your Nurse Navigator experience

Personal treatment team

During your treatment at Mission Hospital you will be the center of a dedicated support team that includes your personal physicians, clinical nurse specialists, social workers, dietitians and physical therapists.

Planning Conference (Tumor Board)

Mission Hospital Cancer Conference -- the only program of its kind in Orange County -- encourages patient participation and examination in the treatment planning process. This enables a highly trained multidisciplinary team to develop a complete picture of you as an individual and your specific circumstances. The conference empowers doctors to provide optimal treatment recommendations.

Treatment options

Should you need treatment, we offer a complete array of options including breast conserving treatment (lumpectomy), mastectomy, breast reconstruction (either immediate or delayed), sentinel node biopsy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Research

Mission's Breast Health Services participates in national clinical research studies. This positions us at the forefront in the ongoing search for a cure. Our research program enables close clinical follow-up of trial participants and access to cutting edge treatment protocols.

Susan G. Komen library

Our Susan G. Komen library is housed in Mission Women's Wellness Center and contains books, pamphlets, videos and audiotapes across a wide range of breast health and breast cancer topics to enable you with a better understanding of prevention, treatment and coping mechanisms. In addition, a computer is available to provide online access to reputable health care information.

Lymphedema program

Breast cancer treatment can place women at a life-long risk for developing lymphedema, accumulation of fluid, which may cause debilitating effects. Early detection can allow for early intervention that can prevent or slow progression of lymphedema to a chronic more difficult to treat stage.

Our Lymphedema Program includes:

  • Patient Education
  • Screening and Measurement – A pre-operative baseline measurement and post-treatment
  • Referral for lymphedema sleeves (available at our boutique) if needed
  • Referral for early intervention with our Lymphedema Rehab Specialist

Using a nationally recognized standardized screening tool, our Nurse Navigators will assist you in assessing your risk. Call our nurse navigator for assistance at 949-347-6062.

Better outcomes begin with better diagnosis, and you’ll find them here

Mission Imaging Center, located in the Women’s Wellness Center, offers comprehensive, compassionate, and clinically superior care. We provide a complete range of screenings and diagnostic evaluations, including mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI and minimally invasive biopsy techniques to detect and diagnose breast diseases and conditions, including:

  • Breast Cancer
  • Breast Lumps and Thickenings
  • Breast Pain
  • Nipple Discharge
  • Our comprehensive care begins with state-of-the-art, digital mammograms. Specialized breast radiologists read and interpret the mammograms utilizing state-of-the-art Computer-Assisted Detection (CAD) to aid in the earliest possible detection of breast cancer. If you need follow-up exams or tests, such as breast MRI ultrasound or biopsy, we provide all the services you will need in one convenient location.

    The breast specialists at the center are members of an extraordinary staff of clinicians and technologists, who provide unmatched care and comfort, giving patients access to the latest technologies, newest treatment options and cutting-edge therapies.

    Many women experience some type of breast condition or concern during their lifetime. Whether you need to schedule a mammogram, or have a suspicion that something is not right, we can help.

    The breast center is accredited by the American College of Radiology. This Breast Center of Excellence designation demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest quality care in breast disease diagnosis, and ensures we meet with the accreditation program’s high standards.
    In addition the breast center has met the exacting standards of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA/FDA) and the state of California.

You can trust the Breast Program at Mission Hospital to provide you and your family with care that meets or exceeds national quality care standards.

Our comprehensive program is accredited by the following prestigious organizations:

  • Mammography: Quality Standards Act (MQSA) – 100% compliance
  • Breast Center of Excellence (BCE) from the American College of Radiology (ACR) for:
    • Mammography
    • Breast Ultrasound
    • Breast Ultrasound Biopsy
    • Stereotactic Biopsy
  • American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation for Breast MRI.

Approximately 5-10% of individuals with cancer have a hereditary form, or predisposition to cancer. Hereditary cancer is the result of changes in genetic information that then predisposes people to certain types of cancer. These changes in the genetic information are passed on in families, from generation to generation. For many hereditary cancer syndromes, genetic testing is available to potentially identify the cause of cancer in the family.

Our Cancer Genetics Program aims to help patients and families with a history of cancer better understand and manage their cancer risk. Our Licensed Genetic Counselors provide individuals with a detailed cancer risk assessment, genetic counseling and an individualized cancer screening and prevention plan to assist in cancer prevention, early detection and improved cancer management.

The Mission Hospital Cancer Genetics Program aims to help individuals and families with a history of cancer better understand and manage their cancer risk. The program includes providers with expertise in Cancer Genetic Counseling and Risk Assessment, Medical Oncology and Surgery. Together, these specialists assess and develop management plans for hereditary cancer syndromes and familial occurrences of cancer.

We provide individuals with important information to assist in early detection, prevention and improved cancer management by:

  • Performing a detailed cancer risk assessment based on personal and family history.
  • Facilitating and interpreting genetic testing when appropriate.
  • Providing an individualized cancer screening and prevention plan.
  • Comprehensive genetic counseling and cancer risk assessment.
  • An explanation of inherited cancer syndromes and familial cancer risk.
  • Facilitation and interpretation of appropriate genetic testing.
  • A written, individualized cancer screening and prevention plan.
  • Recommendations for family members.
  • Detailed consultation report to the referring physician.

Our Genetic Counselors have experience and expertise in all hereditary cancer syndromes and cancer risk assessment.

Sandra Brown, MS, LCGC
Program Manager, Genetic Counselor
Certification: American Board of Genetic Counseling
Education: M.S. in Genetic Counseling, University of California, Irvine; B.S. in Molecular Genetics, University of Oregon

Lisa Mohler, MS, LCGC
Genetic Counselor
Certification: American Board of Genetic Counseling, 2011
Education: M.S. - Genetic Counseling, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, 2010; M.A. - Educational Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 2007; B.S. - Psychology, B.A. in Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 2005

Breast Cancer Treatments at Mission Hospital

At Providence, we help guide you through uncertainty. A breast biopsy allows our doctors to evaluate potential breast cancers and provide precise diagnoses and treatment.

Our experienced oncologists at Providence use brachytherapy as a treatment for breast, head and neck, and gynecologic cancers, and more. During treatment, seeds, ribbons or capsules containing radiation are implanted in or near a tumor in your body, effectively destroying cancer cells and shrinking tumors. It can be applied on a temporary or permanent basis.

At Providence, our top-ranked specialists perform a biopsy to determine if a patient has breast cancer. Typically, doctors use an MRI, ultrasound, or mammogram to guide a needle into the breast and remove a small amount of tissue to examine it for cancer. Doctors can also inject radioactive blue dye near the tumor to detect and remove cancer cells. If the biopsy results are unclear, doctors will recommend surgery to remove more tissue.

We offer a specialized breast cancer rehabilitation program for breast cancer patients and survivors. Our expert oncologists and cancer rehab specialists recommend this program for patients before and after breast cancer surgery. The goal is to help build up your overall strength and increase your mobility and flexibility with activities like manual therapy, cardiovascular training, aerobics and Pilates classes, surgical scar massage, and lymphatic massage to control swelling.

Specialists at Providence use breast MRI scans—a vital tool in breast cancer treatment—to detect abnormal growths or the spread of breast cancer. You’re given non-radioactive contrast dye and lie face down on a bed as it goes through the MRI machine. The magnets in the machine work with the dye to make high-resolution images of your breast tissue for doctors to examine. The process is painless but may be uncomfortable for patients who don’t like being in tight spaces.

Our expert team of doctors use breast ultrasound images to detect, diagnose, or treat any abnormal lumps, cysts, or tumors in the breasts. The device uses ultrasonic sound waves to create images of breast tissue. The sound waves go through the skin to the breast tissues using a sensor that circles the breast. The sound waves then bounce back to the sensor and convert into an electronic picture. An ultrasound is completely painless and takes no more than 20 minutes.

Doctors will recommend a ductogram when you experience abnormal nipple discharge. During this procedure, a small amount of contrast fluid is injected through a thin tube into the nipple duct. With the help of an X-ray machine, the fluid highlights the inside of the duct and allows our specialists to examine small growths in the breast. These growths are often non-cancerous, but still removed to cure the discharge. The procedure can last up to an hour.

Endocrine therapy is a type of hormone therapy used in breast cancer treatment. The treatment is used to slow or stop the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. Endocrine therapy works by blocking the body’s ability to produce hormones, or by interfering with the effects of hormones on breast cancer cells. This treatment can be performed through surgery to remove the ovaries which produce hormones; through radiation, which can stop the ovaries from producing hormones without surgery; or through drug therapy to counteract the effects of hormones on the growth of some types of cancers.

With our world-class radiation therapies, you can be confident that Providence will bring you the most effective cancer treatment. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced treatment that sends precise radiation beams to cancerous tumors in affected areas such as the breast, prostate, lung, brain, and many others. IMRT uses 3D imaging to mimic the tumor’s size, shape, and location. This treatment is applied over several short and pain-free sessions.

At Providence, we’re focused on ensuring that you receive the best breast cancer treatment. A lumpectomy (partial mastectomy) is the surgical removal of a small section of cancerous breast tissue. The goal is to save as much breast tissue as possible. Lumpectomy is an effective option for patients with Stage 0, 1, or 2 breast cancers. The removed tissue is immediately examined to ensure it does not contain cancerous cells. Providence surgeons are experts in performing lumpectomies, with incisions that are often small enough to be hidden, and once healed, even difficult to see.

For patients diagnosed with breast cancer, Providence experts perform lymph node dissection to help assess the potential threat of cancer spreading beyond the breast tissue. This involves surgically removing groups of lymph nodes and examining them to determine if cancer is present. Your Providence cancer specialists are experts in lymph node dissection, and depending on what they find, they may recommend additional treatment.

Lymphedema, also called lymphatic obstruction, is the unnatural swelling of the legs, arms, or chest wall, particularly after treatment for breast cancer. The standard treatment is manual lymphatic drainage is a specialized hands-on technique that applies light pressure, just like a massage, to improve lymphatic flow. It is used in conjunction with multilayer bandaging to ease obstruction of the lymph nodes. Because there’s no cure for lymphedema, the best treatment is prevention and management. At Providence, we offer a variety of management techniques and procedures to help ease the symptoms of lymphedema.

Mammography is a vital tool for detecting breast cancer early. Some mammograms are performed using a digital X-ray, where a clear plate applies pressure on the breasts to obtain an even scan of the breast tissue. A more advanced type is a 3D mammography, which gives doctors a clearer, three-dimensional view of the breast—providing them a more accurate look at the tissue. It is highly recommended that starting at the age of 40, women should get annual mammograms.

A mastectomy is an inpatient surgery under general anesthesia performed by Providence's highly skilled and experienced surgeons. A mastectomy may be the best treatment option to remove breast, lymph, and other tissue, depending on your breast health needs and diagnosis. Providence offers several types of mastectomy surgeries, from nipple-sparing mastectomy to total mastectomy. Your oncology team will determine what is the most effective treatment for your specific type of cancer while taking a holistic and patient-centric approach to your treatment options. In many cases, a mastectomy will mean that no radiation therapy is needed to remove cancer cells.

Female doctor wearing mask, doctors in background

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At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

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