In the 1940s, the breast cancer survival rate was 72 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. Now it’s 97 percent. This is great news—and even more reason for women to have early and annual mammograms.

“The point I want to make to women is this: Get those mammograms!” said Stephanie Nischik of Cambridge, a recent breast cancer survivor and a registered dietitian with Fort HealthCare.

At age 52, Nischik had her third annual mammogram on March 14, 2005. She knew of no history of the disease in her family, and as a dietitian she had followed the “eat right and exercise” mantra for years.

Looking back, she thinks the mammography technologist may have known something wasn’t right. But Nischik said she was very professional and only asked for a few more views. Nischik received a letter a few days later asking her to see her primary care physician regarding the mammogram.

Dr. Diane Wendland of Fort HealthCare’s Cambridge Clinic told Nischik the good news: the tumor was small, only about a half-inch in diameter. She referred Nischik to a surgeon at Fort HealthCare Surgical Associates.

	Marc Erickson, MD, General Surgery

REVOLUTIONARY NEW TREATMENTS
Nischik told surgeon Dr. Marc Erickson her goal. She had plans to visit two of her children in Portland, Oregon, on June 18, and she wanted to be on that plane.

On March 30, Dr. Erickson performed a mammotome biopsy on Nischik. It’s a newer, less invasive form of biopsy that surgeons have been using at Fort Memorial Hospital for the past few years. Only local anesthetic is needed for the mammotome biopsy, and it only requires a 2-millimeter incision. After 45 minutes to an hour, the patient is ready to go home.

“The mammotome is much easier for the patient than previous technology. We can completely remove some lumps through a tiny incision,” Dr. Erickson explained. “If it’s benign, then we’re done. And if not, then we move quickly toward the next procedure. Our goal is to make a diagnosis and solve the problem as quickly as possible.”

On April 4, suspicions were confirmed; breast cancer was discovered. For Nischik, that next procedure was a lumpectomy just four days later. The lumpectomy was also an outpatient/sameday procedure. The goal was to remove any remaining disease from the breast and do a sentinel node biopsy, which determines whether the disease has spread to the lymph node system, where it can then easily travel through the rest of the body.

Luckily for Nischik, it had not spread to the lymph nodes.

“The mammotone biopsy and the sentinel node biopsy have revolutionized breast cancer care in the last decade,” Dr. Erickson said.

CARE CLOSE TO HOME
Nischik was glad she could have these procedures done close to home and by people she trusts. Nischik has worked at Fort Memorial Hospital since 1978. She celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary last October and has raised her three children in Cambridge.

During her treatments, Nischik’s upbeat, positive attitude was a help to her. “I was very lucky,” she said. “I kept telling myself that I was going to be fine.”

But she did have her down days. “Two days before surgery, I fell apart,” she said. “When I had to verbalize that I had breast cancer, it was hard.” Support from the people around her, as well as lots of spring gardening, helped her through.

Nischik had 33 radiation treatments after her surgery but did not need chemotherapy. She finished her last treatment a few days before her trip to Portland.

“It went fast,” Nischik said. “And I felt confident every step of the way. As far as I’m concerned, I am cured!”