Breast Cancer: Screening and Early Detection

My philosophy is to treat the patient - not the disease, and control what we can, as people, control.

Breast cancer can happen to anyone.  Nearly 13,000 New York women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.  Although breast cancer cannot be prevented, it can, if diagnosed early, be treated 90-95% of the time. The new Maimonides Cancer Center aims to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, and to provide this excellence in a warm, caring, and nurturing environment.

If you in your breast find a hard lump that does not change with you menstrual cycle, or if you see bloody nipple discharge, see your physician or gynecologist immediately.  Early screening and mammography can lead to more effective treatment and can save your life. 

At the Maimonides Cancer Center, our goal is to not only take care of the patients, but to make them feel cared for. In our fight against cancer, we deeply believe in the team approach and collaboration among all of our specialists, so when a woman comes here for a diagnosis, she will get 3-4 opinions at once. 

A lot of what cancer care does makes people feel ill. It’s convenient to go to a cancer center that is so close to home. The new Maimonides Cancer Center offers cutting-edge technology, superior medical expertise, and high-powered computers and complex medical care that are essential in cancer treatment. We not only treat breast cancer, but also try to do so in a way that is not disfiguring and does not disrupt the patient’s life.

My philosophy is to treat the patient - not the disease, and control what we can, as people, control. I believe that each patient must be treated with dignity and respect. We cannot control whether or not one gets cancer, but we can manage how we treat a patient. Doctors must be accurate and thorough, but gentle and compassionate.

 To reduce breast cancer risk factors, you should exercise, reduce dietary fat, limit alcohol consumption, stop smoking, eat leafy green vegetables and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, eat fish as a regular source of protein (if you don't eat fish you can supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids), perform a monthly breast self-exam beginning at age 30, perform a yearly mammography beginning at age 40, and see your doctor if you find any new lumps or problems.

Dr. Patrick I. Borgen

Maimonides Cancer Center

6300 Eighth Avenue,

Brooklyn, NY 11220

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