Community Corner

Learn New Methods to Treat Breast Cancer

Silver Cross Hospital will offer a free program about how breast cancer has changed over time and new treatments for it.

By Tracy Simons, Silver Cross Hospital

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2013 an estimated 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among women, as well as an estimated 62,570 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed this year.  CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer. 

Silver Cross Hospital is offering a free lecture to teach how treatment of the disease has evolved over time.

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Free Program

Join Grace Suh, M.D., clinical associate at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross, for a discussion - Treatment of Breast Cancer - on how the occurrence of breast cancer has changed over time and on new therapies currently being used to treat the disease.  

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This free program will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in the Silver Cross Hospital Conference Center, 1890 Silver Cross Blvd., Pavilion A, New Lenox.  Register to attend at www.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325).

 A sponsored article by Silver Cross Hospital.

“A majority of breast cancer cases can be cured when found and treated at an early stage, so regular mammogram screenings are very important,” said Suh a, hematology and oncology physician with the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.

Risk Factors & Prevention

Risk factors for breast cancer include older age, specific inherited genetic alterations, hormone therapy, having radiation therapy to the chest, consuming alcohol, and being overweight. It may be possible to decrease the risk of breast cancer by getting exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.

Treating Breast Cancer

“When breast cancer is diagnosed, our physicians develop a treatment plan that is individualized to the patient,” Suh said. “Thanks to the latest medical and surgical approaches that we offer, many women with the disease have an excellent chance of being cured.  We treat even the most resistant tumors with a range of treatments—some of which aren't available at many other medical centers."

Many different healthcare experts participate in the care of each woman with breast cancer at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross. 

The breast cancer team includes specialists from the following disciplines: breast cancer surgery, medical oncology, pathology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, radiation oncology, radiology, and survivorship. 

“Because communication among these specialists is vital, the entire team meets regularly to plan care for breast cancer patients,” Suh said. “At these meetings, participants share information and insights from patient care and research, leading to the best possible treatment for each patient.”

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross, as well as the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus, are the only places to offer certain state-of-the-art approaches to treating breast cancer. 

One of these unique treatment methods is the prone breast radiation technique. Radiation is administered on a specially-designed table with a breast board to help the woman lie more comfortably in the prone position, on her stomach, with the breast hanging down from the body for radiation therapy.

Further, patients will benefit from a breadth of expertise and cutting-edge chemotherapy and radiation therapy techniques, such as prone therapy. Radiation therapy, as well as access to innovative clinical trials, is vital to the treatment of a range of cancers. 

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center maintains more active clinical trials for the treatment of cancer than any other program in Illinois. To schedule an appointment, call 815-300-1400.

About Grace K. Suh, M.D.

Grace Suh, M.D., specializes in hematology/oncology and is a board-certified internal medicine physician. Dr. Suh attended medical school at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT. 

She completed an internal medicine residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT; and a medical oncology fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Her office is located with theUniversity of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital at 1850 Silver Cross Blvd., New Lenox. To schedule an appointment, call 815-300-1400.

About the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital

The University of Chicago Medicine at  Silver Cross Hospital’s outpatient cancer treatment center located in the Carolyn J. Czerkies Pavilion at I-355 and Route 6 (1850 Silver Cross Blvd.) in New Lenox opened its doors on June 25, 2012. 

The 20,000-square-foot University of Medicine Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross brings University of Chicago academic specialists and their advanced and investigational therapies into a community-hospital setting. The new facility provides state-of-the-art chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as well as access to hundreds of clinical trials. 

It also offers a TrueBeam new-generation linear accelerator system, which delivers precisely targeted radiation therapy to provide the best results. In addition, other services provided at the Comprehensive Cancer Center include cancer support services, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, infusion services, and preventative screenings. 

The University of Chicago Medicine maintains more active clinical trials for the treatment of cancer than any other program in Illinois. To schedule an appointment, call (815) 300-1400. For more information about the new University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center at Silver Cross Hospital, visit www.ucmcancer-sch.org.

About Silver Cross Hospital

Silver Cross Hospital is a not-for-profit health care provider serving Will County and southwest suburban communities since 1895. Silver Cross has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals National Award winner for seven consecutive years and as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.

With over 3,500 employees, physicians and volunteers, Silver Cross operates a new 289-bed acute care hospital at I-355 and Route 6 in New Lenox and 8 satellite facilities providing outpatient services and physician offices. To learn more about Silver Cross Hospital or a referral to a physician on staff, visit www.silvercross.org or call 1-888-660-HEAL (4325).  Physicians on Silver Cross Hospital’s Medical Staff have expertise in their areas of practice to meet the needs of patients seeking their care.  

These physicians are independent practitioners on the Medical Staff and are not the agents or employees of Silver Cross Hospital. They treat patients based upon their independent medical judgment and they bill patients separately for their services.


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