One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is driving the creation of a successful high-risk breast program in a large community-based health system. I am often asked how we did it. For advice on getting started, check out the first blog in this series. If you have already implemented a high-risk breast program, congratulations! It’s time…
How would you respond if a patient asked, "What is my risk of getting breast cancer"? We may initially reference the national average: 1 in 8 (or about 13% of) people assigned female at birth (AFAB) develop breast cancer.1 However, we live in an age of personalized medicine; this statistic cannot be applied universally to every patient. Further,…
We recently met with Texas OB/GYN, Dr. Noel Boyd. We learned about her passion for caring for the whole patient and helping to identify those at increased risk for cancer so that they can make proactive choices to address their risk. Dr. Boyd’s practice implemented The CARE ProgramTM, which stands for “Comprehensive Assessment of Risk and…
When it comes to breast cancer, Runi Limary has more personal experience than average. She not only spent time working at a nonprofit for people with breast cancer, but she was diagnosed herself at the young age of twenty-eight. When ACLU lawyers reached out to her about the court case regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2 patents to see…
“It’s one thing to be scared to hear something, it’s another to die from not hearing something at all.”—Rick, Colon & Kidney Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) When I was twelve years old, my cousin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. She was only 24. My mother knew my grandfather on…