New Brunswick, N.J., August 19, 2021 – In the United States, approximately 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. This year alone, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed according to the American Cancer Society. While the fight against breast cancer continues every single day, the month of October is dedicated to raising awareness around the importance of early detection and screening and shedding light on the advances in breast cancer treatment options and research.
National experts in the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey who offer the full spectrum of therapeutic procedures, comprehensive services and advanced treatment options for breast cancer patients in collaboration with the oncology service line of RWJBarnabas Health, are available for comment during breast cancer awareness month. Topics include screening, genetic testing, treatment, clinical trials, support, and survivorship. All are faculty members at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
For information on advances in breast cancer treatment and surgery:
Michele Blackwood, MD, FACS, is chief, section of breast surgery at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and northern regional director of breast services for RWJBarnabas Health. Dr. Blackwood works closely with the multidisciplinary team in the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center to provide compassionate, comprehensive patient care including the most advanced surgical techniques. Women with breast cancer now have more options ever before, due to increased awareness and knowledge of breast cancer, improvements in and accessibility of technology, more personalized approaches to treatment, earlier disease detection and better overall care. Dr. Blackwood can discuss advancements in breast cancer surgical care.
Shicha Kumar, MD, FACS, is a surgical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute dedicated to the care of patients with breast cancer. As a fellowship-trained breast surgeon at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Dr. Kumar’s goal is to help patients understand the options in their cancer care and choose a path that fits them and their family. Patient education and shared decision making are critical to her in her practice. In addition to taking care patients, she also engages in clinical research. Her clinical expertise includes breast cancer; breast conservation; oncoplastic techniques; nipple-sparing mastectomy; ductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS); breast cancer in men; and clinical trials.
For information on breast cancer screening:
Deborah Toppmeyer, MD, is chief medical officer, director of both the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center and LIFE Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Dr. Toppmeyer has been at Rutgers Cancer Institute since 1995 and has helped countless patients navigate their breast cancer journey through a comprehensive approach. Her expertise is breast cancer genetics – including helping people understand their risk of developing breast cancer. She is an advocate for breast cancer screening, as research has shown early detection improves a woman's overall prognosis. She has also stressed the importance of continuing breast cancer screening through the COVID-19 pandemic.
For information on breast cancer science:
Shridar Ganesan, MD, PhD is associate director for Translational Science, section chief of Molecular Oncology, a medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Omar Boarie chair in Genomic Science. With a research interest in breast cancer biology and DNA repair, Dr. Ganesan is currently exploring how DNA repair defects in cancers can be exploited to develop novel effective treatments. He is also active in applying next-generation sequencing technology to identify specific genomic changes in cancers that can be therapeutically targeted. As a physician/scientist, he runs a basic science laboratory focused on cancer genomics and breast cancer biology and also sees patients in the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center. In the clinic, he works collaboratively with experts across multi-disciplines and have the opportunity to put theory into practice as we aim to develop the next generation of targeted treatments for breast cancer.
For information on breast cancer clinical trials:
Mridula George, MD, is a medical oncologist in the Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. As part of this multi-disciplinary team, Dr. George is committed to providing the most advanced and comprehensive care to her patients. She sees patients at both Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, providing care to patients with all stages of breast cancer. She provides her patients with the most advanced treatment options including precision medicine, immunotherapy and clinical trials in a compassionate and welcoming environment. In addition to clinical care, she also conducts clinical trials.
For addressing psychological aspects of breast cancer:
Women may need help learning how to cope with the physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes associated with breast cancer as well as with medical treatments that can be traumatic or cause emotional distress. Members of the Social Work Services team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey are experts in assisting patients and family with emotional issues as well as financial and practical needs related to cancer diagnosis and treatment, including breast cancer, and can comment on the psychological and social aspects of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
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