Breast Surgeon to Host Free Educational Program Oct. 22 At Presence Healing Arts Pavilion in New Lenox

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so there’s no time like the present to hear the latest from a breast health expert at the Presence Healing Arts Pavilion in New Lenox.

Join board-certified, fellowship-trained breast and general surgeon Diane Drugas, M.D., F.A.C.S., at a free Breast Health Program Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m.

As a breast surgeon for more than two decades, Dr. Drugas is known throughout the region for her superior care of patients with breast disease and breast cancer. In her daily practice, she is committed to educating patients about breast cancer awareness and prevention, and believes in reviewing every treatment option available.

“About one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime,” Dr. Drugas said.

In 2014, that equates to an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer, along with 62,570 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer, the earliest form of breast cancer.

“We haven’t seen a lot of progress in the last 20 years regarding what causes cancer, but we have made tremendous advancements in how it’s treated, and we’ve gained extensive knowledge and understanding about the biology of the disease,” she said. “Today, the treatments are a lot easier for the patients to go through than they used to be. The chemotherapy drugs are less toxic, and the radiation therapy treatments are much more precise so we don’t have as many side effects.”

Tremendous gains have also been made on the surgical side of breast cancer treatment.

“When I started 20-something years ago, the norm was that every patient had a mastectomy – or removing the entire breast,” she said. “Today, most people can be treated with breast-conserving procedures. For me, it’s pretty exciting to be part of a cancer treatment team that can study tumors at the molecular level. We can design treatments that are customized for each patient. It’s no longer this cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all cancer treatment.”

Even better, breast cancer death rates have been declining since about 1989, with even larger decreases in women younger than 50. That is in large part to earlier detection through mammography screening.

“There is no question that screening mammography saves lives,” she added. “We have seen a 30-percent reduction in deaths due to breast cancer in the last 30 or so years, and this is largely due to the fact people are getting screened.”

Dr. Drugas recommends screening mammography beginning at age 40 and continuing every year thereafter – especially since the chance of breast cancer increases with age. A woman in her 70s is twice as likely to have breast cancer than a woman in her 40s.

According to recent American Cancer Society statistics, about 67 percent of women aged 40 and older in the U.S. had a mammogram in the past two years, compared to only 29 percent in 1987. Today, the five-year survival rate of women who are diagnosed early is more than 90 percent.

“I know how personal decisions can be for someone facing breast cancer,” she said. “It’s important to know all the facts and make decisions based on the best possible options.”

During the Oct. 22 program, Dr. Drugas will discuss overall breast health, prevention, breast cancer treatment and living after a breast cancer diagnosis.

“We don’t just treat the cancer anymore,” she added. “We treat the whole patient from the minute they are diagnosed, through the treatment, through the survivorship and beyond that. This is university-level care brought to the community level. There are many, many treatments available today for the patient, and the prognosis is much, much better than it’s ever been in the past.”

For more information or to register for the free Oct. 22 Breast Health Program at the Presence Healings Art Pavilion, call 877.737.4636.

The Presence Healing Arts Pavilion is located at 410 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox.