Local Breast Health Expert Talks about Detection, Diagnosis

More than 4,500 new cases of breast cancer are detected every year here in the Bay Area.

“The good news is that the past two decades have seen significant, life-saving new technologies in the area of early detection and diagnosis,” said Harriet Borofsky, M.D., medical director of breast imaging at Mills-Peninsula’s Women’s Center. “The single most important impact we can have on this disease is early detection, which means regular screening mammograms."

Mills-Peninsula’s Breast Health Services in San Mateo is among national leaders in five-year breast cancer survival rates, in part because the breast health program effectively detects more cancers at the earliest, most curable stages. More than 70 percent of women diagnosed are at Stage 0 or Stage One, when survival is as high as 99 percent. This exceeds the National Cancer Database average by 9 percent, a measure that includes more than 1,500 health care organizations.

Read a more in-depth interview about breast care basics and advances in technology with Dr. Borofsky on the Mills-Peninsula health blog.