Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, every turned page on the calendar represents an opportunity to stay healthy

By Laura Briedis

Although October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, Dr. Flamur Semaj cautions that women need to be aware of any changes in their breast health—every month.

As a diagnostic and interventional radiologist at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, a Campus of UH Regional Hospitals, he applauds the spotlight turned on breast cancer every fall, but is quick to point out that it really is a year-round effort to educate women.

Dr. Semaj stresses that mammograms are the best tool to screen for breast cancer, which is the second-most common type of cancer among women after skin cancer.

“We recommend that women have a mammogram every year starting at age 40,” he says. “However, if you have a family history you should have your first mammogram 10 years earlier than the first-degree relative was diagnosed.”

UH Geauga Medical Center makes it convenient, as patients don’t need to go downtown to the main UH campus for screening and procedures. The regional center offers high-level breast care close to home.

At the Breast Imaging Center, the standard mammogram is the digital 3D tomosynthesis breast screening. “This machine, in combination with our Supersonic Hologic Ultrasound machine that we recently acquired thanks to a donation from the Geauga Women’s Auxiliary, can detect the tiniest cancer tumors as small as two millimeters,” he says. “We also can take special views and use spot compression and magnification to assess any calcifications to check for the earliest signs and analyze it as it is just forming.”

Another screening tool available at University Hospitals is the Fast Breast MRI, a 10-minute, self-pay, supplemental examination that scientific studies have shown to be effective in finding invasive breast cancers, especially for women who have dense breast tissue or a family history of breast cancer.

“While all our technology helps save lives, these machines don’t work on their own. It takes a highly trained staff,” says Dr. Semaj, who emphasizes the importance of patient communication and is fluent in five languages: English, Albanian, French, Italian and Spanish. “I am involved in every step of imaging and diagnoses, starting with reading the screenings, and if a diagnostic mammogram or ultrasound is necessary, I talk to patients afterward to ease their anxiety.”

The Breast Imaging Center houses all the disciplines involved in breast care—from genetic counselors and pathologists to surgical oncologists and plastic surgeons—working as a team under one roof. This multidisciplinary team of breast care specialists guides each patient through all levels of treatment—with the help of an Advanced Practice Provider, who helps navigate patients through the process by scheduling follow-up procedures and answering any questions.

“Patients are comfortable here and they have put their confidence and trust in us. They can feel how deeply we care,” Dr. Semaj says.

Signs of Breast Cancer
A woman has a one-in-eight chance of getting breast cancer, so approximately 13 percent of women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. And while breast cancer is rare in men, it is highly aggressive for those men who do get it. That’s why it is important for not only women, but also men (since they do not get annual breast screenings), to know the signs of breast cancer.

Here are symptoms to look for as the earlier diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome:
• Lump in the breast or armpit.
• Any change in the size or shape of the breast.
• Nipple discharge.
• Redness, scaling or crusting of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple.
• Dimpling or skin irritation of the breast.
• Pain in any area of the breast.

At the Breast Imaging Center at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, the team of physicians, radiologists and nurses is there every step of the way for those who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

The Breast Imaging Center at UH Geauga Medical Center is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. You can schedule a breast screening by calling 440-508-8990 or visit UHHospitals.org/BreastCancer for more information. The Breast Imaging Center is located at 13207 Ravenna Road in Chardon.