Breast Cancer Treatment
Treating Breast Cancer with Innovation & Compassion
The CBCC Breast Health Center was the first comprehensive breast center in Kern County. It was created to address the unique needs of women in our community in a compassionate, comfortable, and supportive environment.
Today, we continue to offer the most advanced screenings and treatments available in our state-of-the-art facility. Our multidisciplinary team approach includes physicians, therapists, and educators working together for your health and well-being. The members of your medical team collaborate daily to evaluate your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed.
How We Treat Breast Cancer
You need more than just medical care if you have breast cancer. You also need support and encouragement from healthcare professionals who understand your fears and will help you face them.
CBCC’s breast cancer specialists treat women and men with all types of breast cancer. Whether we catch your cancer early or it is aggressive and spreading, our goal is the same: We provide personalized care addressing the health of your body, mind, and spirit.
Treatment plans are customized for each patient’s unique needs, but depending on your age, along with the type and stage of your cancer, your treatment plan may include one or more of the following:
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Surgery: For most patients, surgery is included in their treatment process. Our breast surgeons and surgical oncology teams have significant experience in performing operations for the many types of breast cancer. We have the expertise and capabilities to treat advanced breast tumors that involve the chest wall and we also perform palliative surgeries to eliminate pain and increase patients' comfort levels.
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Immunotherapy: Cancer is a smart disease, but your own immune system is smarter. Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses the immune system to attack cancer cells, in much the same way that it attacks bacteria or viruses. This type of therapy seeks to harness different types of immune cells circulating in your body and has the potential to provide lasting benefits. Simply put, immunotherapy treats your body, and your body treats the cancer. Physicians and researchers at CBCC are leaders in discovering new ways to give your immune system the upper hand against cancer.
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Chemotherapy: This treatment is typically recommended for patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer.
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Hormone Therapy: Cancers that test positive for certain hormones may be treated with hormone-blocking therapy to slow or stop the cancer cells from growing or metastasizing.
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Radiation Therapy: When a breast tumor is large or not easily removed with surgery, radiation therapy before surgery may be used to help shrink the tumor. After breast-sparing surgery, radiation treatments may help destroy remaining cancer cells.
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Targeted Therapy: These medications are designed to shut down specific genes, cutting off the cancer cells’ energy supplies.
Your care doesn’t end when you finish your breast cancer treatments.
As you begin recovery, you’ll find many rehabilitation and survivorship services throughout the CBCC system. We’ll help you regain your physical and emotional strength — and embrace a future that is free of cancer.
NAPBC Accreditation
Accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) is granted only to those centers that are voluntarily committed to providing the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast.
Each breast center must undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of its performance and compliance with NAPBC standards. To maintain accreditation, centers must monitor compliance with NAPBC on an ongoing basis and undergo an onsite review every three years.
The CBCC Breast Health Center was the first cancer center in the San Joaquin Valley to have been accredited by the NAPBC and continues to maintain its accreditation, ensuring that you are provided the highest level of care available in the United States.
Prevention and Screenings
Regular screenings offer women the best possible protection from breast cancer. Routine screening with mammography — a specialized X-ray of the breast — reduces a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer by 30 to 50%.
CBCC recommends the following:
- Women aged 40 and older should have annual breast cancer screening with mammography along with clinical exams.
- Women younger than age 40 should discuss their personal risk factors, and medical/family history with their physician to determine when to begin annual mammography screening.
- Those with major risk factors, such as a strong family history or a known mutation in a gene associated with breast cancer, should begin yearly screening before age 40. Because breast cancer in younger women is harder to detect with mammography, women should speak with their doctor about whether other screening tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are advised.
Early detection of breast cancer greatly improves the chances of successful treatment. At CBCC, we provide the resources for early detection through educational materials, guidance, and advanced screening technologies like 3D mammography.
Reshape the Mammography Experience
Never has a mammography system been so sensitive to patients, technologists and radiologists alike – putting everyone in a better position for a more relaxing experience, productive workflow and effective care. Coming January 2022.
ACR Accreditation
CBCC is accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) – the gold standard of medical imaging.
The ACR has a rigorous set of independent standards for patient safety and top quality care, with only 10% of the nation's radiation oncology centers having successfully passed the evaluation. We are very proud to have received this prestigious ACR Accreditation.
Our Approach to Breast Cancer Surgery
CBCC is known for offering the most comprehensive breast cancer treatment options in the Central Valley. If you have breast cancer, are considering a preventive mastectomy, or are helping a loved one learn about breast cancer treatment, you can rely on our team to help you make these very personal choices to get the best outcome for your unique journey.
Expertise is critical when it comes to breast cancer care. While there are many doctors who perform breast cancer surgery, most do not specialize in breast cancer. At CBCC, our team is led by Dr. Nicole Gordon, a Mount Sinai School of Medicine-trained breast surgical oncologist.
All surgical decisions are made in a multidisciplinary fashion with colleagues in radiology, medical oncology, plastic surgery, and radiation oncology. The aim is to maximally personalize the medical decisions and recommendations, and to fully inform patients and their families.
Breast Cancer in Men
Breast cancer in men is very uncommon, but it does occur. About 2,000 men in the United States develop breast cancer each year compared to about 250,000 women. Male breast cancer is most common in older men, though it can occur at any age.
Men diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage have a good chance for a cure. Treatment typically involves surgery to remove the breast tissue. Other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, may be recommended based on your particular situation.
CBCC is dedicated to bringing awareness to male breast cancer prevention. Our experts have the training and expertise to quickly diagnose all types of breast cancers and tailor a treatment plan unique to you.
Dr. Nicole Gordon
Your care team will be led by Dr. Nicole Gordon, a highly specialized breast surgeon known for using innovative, technologically advanced techniques such as nipple-sparing mastectomy, oncoplastic resections, and intra-operative radiation treatment. Dr. Gordon works tirelessly to bring the newest surgical innovations to CBCC and dedicates herself to seeing patients flourish following surgical procedures.