When Should You See a Breast Care Specialist?

Have you noticed a change in your breasts? Symptoms like lumps, pain, discoloration, and spontaneous discharges are signs that you need a doctor’s attention. Early detection is the key to favorable outcomes for benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous) breast issues. In many cases, a gynecologist or family practice doctor will detect a breast abnormality during a routine exam or mammogram before a woman notices on her own. The question is: which type of doctor should you see first?

Understanding the Difference Between Medical Professionals

What’s the difference between a family practice doctor, a gynecologist, and a breast care specialist? There’s no wrong place to start, as long as you schedule an appointment as soon as you discover something unusual in your breasts.

An internal medicine doctor, also called a family practice doctor, treats patients with everything from the common cold to back pain. However, some family medicine doctors will conduct a breast exam as a part of their full annual health evaluation. If an internal medicine doctor discovers a lump or gets abnormal results back on a mammogram, he or she will refer the patient to a breast care specialist.

A gynecologist is a physician who specializes in women’s health. It’s common for young women to see their physician just once a year for an annual gynecological exam. At that time, they will have a pap smear, a breast exam, and a mammogram if they are old enough. If a routine mammogram shows something abnormal, the gynecologist will notify the patient and then refer her to a breast care specialist.

The Role of the Breast Care Specialist

Generally, when something has changed in a patient’s breast, all roads lead to a breast care specialist. After an internal medicine doctor or gynecologist discovers something abnormal in a patient’s breast, they refer the patient to a breast specialist for a diagnosis. In most cases, the patient will already have had a mammogram.

The breast care specialist will perform further tests to determine whether the patient’s lump or other symptoms are signs of benign breast disease or breast cancer. To ensure an accurate diagnosis, a breast care specialist will typically perform the following:

• Ultrasound: Used to further evaluate changes in the breast.
• Ultrasound Guided Biopsy: A specialist will typically perform an ultrasound guided biopsy to diagnose the abnormality if warranted.
• Genetic Testing: Patients may also choose to undergo genetic testing to learn about their predisposition for cancer.
• Breast Surgery: If the specialist determines that removing breast tissue is warranted, he or she will then perform breast surgery.

Specialized Care and Oncology

If the tissue is cancerous, the breast specialist will make a determination about whether a referral to a medical oncologist and/or a radiation oncologist would be beneficial to the patient. The medical oncologist will determine whether chemotherapy would be a beneficial treatment for the patient and whether the patient would benefit from endocrine therapy to treat hormone-related cancers. Furthermore, radiation oncologists specialize in radiation therapy, which a breast care specialist may suggest as part of a full treatment plan.

Expertise in Breast Health

Fellowship-trained breast surgeons like Dr. Princess Thomas Williams are general surgeons by training who have completed additional training after finishing their general surgery Residency. Dr. Thomas Williams completed her Breast Fellowship at Yale University and has undergone rotations and additional training in all aspects of breast health. She is certified in hidden scar surgery, which is an additional certification that is rare among breast surgeons. Her hidden scar training has made her an expert in determining the ideal location to put an incision to remove cancerous tissue and also have a cosmetically pleasing outcome, maintaining patient’s self-worth as they heal.

Summary of Medical Care Roles

Below is a summary of the different roles medical professionals play in breast health:

• Family Practice Doctor: Treats general health; refers patients to specialists if a lump or abnormal mammogram is found.
• Gynecologist: Specializes in women’s health; refers patients to specialists if routine mammograms show abnormalities.
• Breast Care Specialist: Performs ultrasounds and biopsies to diagnose benign breast disease or breast cancer; performs surgery.
• Medical Oncologist: Manages chemotherapy and endocrine therapy for hormone-related cancers.
• Radiation Oncologist: Specializes in radiation therapy treatment.