Thanks to a radically personalized approach to breast cancer, patients at Summa Health are having a better breast experience

By Patricia Nugent

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For the one in eight women who develop invasive breast cancer, today more than 80 percent will achieve a cure. At Summa Health, the coordinated care is ever evolving and advancing to make that number even higher.

“Our commitment lies in collaborating to provide patient-centered care for the best experiences and outcomes,” says Dr. Melanie Lynch, who is surgical oncologist and medical director of the Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Center for Breast Health.

“Over the past three years, we’ve broken apart the model in which we deliver care and reorganized it into a Multidisciplinary Clinic (MDC) team approach, so each patient receives the right treatment at the right time.”

One of the components of that approach is the MDC, which brings to the table all the members who will be involved in a patient’s care, from the medical oncologist to the surgeon, the survivorship nurse practitioner, nutritionist, physical therapist, social worker and even the financial counselor.

“Everyone in the room is a stakeholder in the treatment plan,” she says. “They identify the unique characteristics of each case and explore options.”

“What’s thrilling for us as medical practitioners is that in about 20 percent of our cases, after meeting with the MDC a patient will take a different approach to their cancer care than they originally had in mind,” says Dr. Lynch.

After the board meets, patients receive a coordinated, comprehensive and personalized treatment plan.

Chemo Without Hair Loss
One of the most devastating realities that comes with a cancer diagnosis is hair loss.

Mary Jo Letera, of Munroe Falls, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. She decided to get a second opinion at Summa Health. After meeting with the Breast MDC, she underwent a double mastectomy followed by chemotherapy.

She wanted to explore an approach to avoiding hair loss called the Cold Cap scalp cooling system. Originating in Europe back in the 1970s, the treatment has been gaining traction here in the United States.

The premise works by narrowing the blood vessels beneath the skin of the scalp to reduce the amount of the chemotherapy medicine that reaches the follicles.

“My daughter and husband helped so much,” she recalls. “They would have to wet my hair down before fitting the cap over my scalp. It was very cold, then my scalp felt numb. Since there is thawing, the cap needed to be replaced every 15 minutes to keep it the same temperature.”

She wore the cap for about four hours before, during and after each of her six chemo sessions.

In the end, Mary Jo kept her beautiful wavy, strawberry blonde locks and reports, “It was well worth it.”

The Breast Center team explores every avenue to treatment. Recently, thanks to a grant it received, it offered a free six-week Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program to address symptoms of chemotherapy, which range from nausea to insomnia, constipation and fatigue.

“Through mindfulness, restorative yoga, Reiki, breathing treatments, meditation and essential oils, we were able to help patients effectively lessen their symptoms without medicine,” says Dr. Lynch.

Summa Health is one of the largest patient-centered health management systems in Ohio. It is nationally renowned for providing integrated and coordinated care and a superior experience to the community. For more information, call 330-375-3000 or visit SummaHealth.org.