"Breast Cancer: Encouraging New Options" - Diana Williams

Judy Fallon, a breast cancer survivor, has seen close family members hit by four different kinds of cancer. She was often the caregiver, and she knew to be diligent about her own checkups, so she was shocked when she found a lump under her arm. “Even though I knew it was in my family, I was a caretaker to the others, I never thought it would happen to me,” said Judy Fallon. “The interesting thing about Judy’s case is that initially her breast cancer first showed up as an enlarged lymph node under her arm. In the initial diagnostic phase, we couldn’t actually find the cancer in the breast, so it was a very unusual situation, about one percent of breast cancers start out this way,” said Elisa Port, MD, FACS, associate professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, chief of breast surgery and co-director of the Dubin Breast Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “Judy has stage two breast cancer; it is hormone receptor positive,” said Amy Tiersten, MD, professor of medicine, hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an oncologist at the Dubin Breast Center at the Mount Sinai Hospital. “She underwent an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, which is a standard regimen. She worked full time throughout treatment, she’s a trooper,” added Dr. Tiersten. Judy was offered to participate in a brand new clinical trial. The treatment is very targeted and is a great alternative to chemotherapy.  

- Elisa Port, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Breast Surgery, Co-Director, Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital

- Amy Tiersten, MD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Oncologist, Breast Cancer Medical Oncology Program, Dubin Breast Center, The Mount Sinai Hospital

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