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Vasek & Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center
Torrance | Manhattan Beach | Carson |
Rolling Hills Estates |
Early detection and improved survival rates go hand in hand. Torrance Memorial offers a broad range of screening and diagnostic services to aid in the earliest possible detection of breast cancer.
Vasek & Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center
Certified by the FDA + Accredited by the American College of Radiology
Because breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women, Torrance Memorial established the Vasek & Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center in 1986 to help women safeguard their health. Our goal is to take an active role in women's healthcare by providing a full scope of services for maintaining breast health, including education, diagnosis, treatment and support.
Early detection is key to maintaining breast health. Through early detection, women with breast cancer have the best chance for a full recovery and preservation of the affected breast. The fully accredited Vasek and Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center offers mammography, a low-dose X-ray of the breast to detect abnormalities. If an abnormality is detected, additional tests are performed. These may include breast ultrasound, stereotactic (nonsurgical) breast biopsy and other diagnostic testing. Radiologists, specially trained in the interpretation of breast imaging, provide diagnoses for all types of breast abnormalities.
Our Breast Health Navigator is a nurse who is specially trained to provide instruction and education on all aspects of breast health. All women are invited to learn the correct way to perform breast self-examinations. Our Breast Health Navigator provides individualized training and conducts presentations for community groups free of charge.
The Breast Health Navigator also serves as a liaison providing support during the diagnosis process and working with the patient, surgeon and the oncologist as appropriate.
To learn more about Vasek Polak's generous contribution to the health of the South Bay, click here.
About Breast Health
To maintain breast health, we recommend a three-part approach.
- Clinical exam by a physician
- Breast self-examination monthly
- Mammography
American Cancer Society Guidelines for Mamommography:
- One baseline mammogram by age 40
- A mammogram annually after the age of 40
In addition, the ACS recommends MRI in addition to mammograms for certain women considered to be at unusually high risk for breast cancer. They include:
- Women with a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes
- Women who were treated for Hodgkin's disease
- Women with a strong family history of the disease, such as women with two or more close relatives who had breast or ovarian cancer or who have a close relative who developed breast cancer before age 50. Experts say about 1 in 50 adult U.S. women fall into this category.
Diagnosing Breast Disease
MAMMOGRAPHY: Five Seconds That Can Save Your Life
Using low-dose X-rays, mammography provides a safe and reliable technique to screen for breast abnormalities. An annual mammogram also allows physicians to compare subsequent images to identify changes in the breast. Mammography can detect a lump long before it is large enough to be felt, meaning that it can be detected in its earliest, most treatable stages.
The Breast Diagnostic Center offers advanced digital and film screening (analog) mammography. The center also uses the ImageChecker Computer Aided Detection (CAD) system, which double checks every mammogram image to eliminate false negative readings and provides more precise findings. At the Breast Diagnostic Center, a board-certified radiologist experienced in mammography reviews each mammogram to detect any variation from normal.
Mammography, like other X-rays, is a simple and quick procedure. You undress only to the waist and a specially trained mammography technologist conducts the test. While you stand, a smooth, plastic shield is used to compress the breast to obtain a better image with less radiation. The compression may be slightly uncomfortable but lasts only about five seconds; however, some women experience no discomfort at all. The mammogram takes only a few minutes. The entire visit takes 30-45 minutes.
Depending on a woman's individual risk factors and mammogram findings, breast ultrasound and MRI may be used to screen for breast disease.
Evaluating a Breast Lump
While most breast lumps are non-cancerous, it is still important to determine the nature of a lump or changes in the breast. If an abnormality appears on the mammogram, additional tests may be performed on site at our main location in Torrance.
BREAST ULTRASOUND
Ultrasound is a painless procedure that uses high energy sound waves to further evaluate a breast lump or aid in determining the nature of a nonpalpable mammographic abnormality. If the lump can be felt, a physician may use the results of a mammogram and ultrasound test to determine whether or not additional tests are needed. Breast cyst aspiration also uses ultrasound as a guide to drain a cyst in the breast. Ultrasound-guided needle core breast biopsies are performed as clinically indicated on areas of the breast that require additional evaluation.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses magnets and radio waves, instead of x-rays, to produce cross-sectional images of the body. MRI is not a new technology but having dedicated equipment to perform this sophisticated imaging evaluation of the breast is state-of-the-art. MRI is used along with mammograms or breast ultrasound to determine the extent of biopsy-proven breast cancer. Breast MRI is valuable because it provides another type of "picture" of the breast, and gives the surgeon additional information for surgical planning. Breast MRI is conducted at the Polak Imaging Pavilion on the Torrance Memorial campus.
STEREOTACTIC (NON-SURGICAL) MAMMOTOMY BIOPSY
Available on-site at the Breast Diagnostic Center in Torrance, stereotactic mammotomy biopsy offers an alternative to surgical biopsy for the diagnosis of breast cancer. The stereotactic technology makes it possible to precisely locate and accurately diagnose lumps that cannot be felt. If your doctor recommends this procedure, it can be performed on an outpatient basis and you may resume normal activities the same day.
SURGICAL BIOPSY AIDED BY NEEDLE LOCALIZATION
If a suspicious lesion cannot be felt manually by the surgeon, a procedure called needle localization may be used. Needle localization uses mammography or ultrasound guidance to locate the suspicious area for the surgeon just prior to the biopsy. The patient is given a local anesthetic in her breast over the suspicious area. Using the mammogram or ultrasound images as a guide, the radiologist inserts the needle into the area of the lesion. When the tip of the needle is aimed at the precise spot, the wire is inserted into the area where it is stays securely anchored until surgery. Afterwards, the surgeon removes it along with a sample of the lesion.
TEST RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP
In most cases, results from any of these tests are made available to your physician within 48 hours. Depending on the results, your physician may prescribe additional tests or treatments. If your mammogram is normal, you will receive a notice in the mail in about one year to remind you to schedule your next check-up.
EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
Breast Examination Training Center
Torrance Memorial provides training by an R.N. on the art of breast self-examination (BSE) as a free community service. This program has been offered since 1980 to help women recognize the early signs of breast disease. Appointments may be scheduled for BSE training on a group or individual basis at the Torrance location. For information, call the Breast Health Navigator at (310) 784-6335.
Breast Health Navigator
Our Breast Health Navigator is a nurse who is specially trained to provide instruction and education on all aspects of breast health. She provides individualized training and conducts presentations for community groups. The Breast Health Navigator is available by telephone or on a walk-in basis to answer any questions about breast screening, diagnosis of disease, treatment, resources in the community and any other topic concerning breast health. In addition, the Breast Health Navigator serves as a liaison for women diagnosed with breast cancer or other breast abnormality requiring treatment. She provides educational and emotional support and helps to coordinate tests and MD appointments during the diagnostic process. She also assists the patient with arranging appointments with the surgeon and the oncologist as appropriate.
Osteoporosis Screening
The Vasek & Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center also offers osteoporosis screening. Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," results from a gradual loss of bone substance. While thinning and increased brittleness of bone occurs naturally with aging, certain risk factors contribute to the degree of osteoporosis a person might experience. Women are at much greater risk of developing osteoporosis than men.
The disease can weaken the bone so much that even the slightest force may cause it to break. The consequences of untreated osteoporosis may be the increased occurrence of fractures, pain, loss of independence, disfigurement and may lead to death.
People who are at risk of developing osteoporosis can undergo a painless, non-invasive screening that determines the mass and density of the bones and indicates the extent of disease that might be expected to occur. The screening is performed using a radiologic device called a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry densitometer. It scans the spine and hip to measure bone density while the patient lies comfortably on an exam table. This screening is available at both the Torrance and Peninsula Center locations. For more information about osteoporosis screenings, please call (310) 517-4709.
APPOINTMENTS AND PAYMENT
Your doctor may refer you for a mammogram or you may make an appointment yourself. If you call to schedule your own screening mammogram, we will ask you for the name of the physician who will receive the results. For other tests performed at the center, a physician order is required.
Many insurance companies pay for mammography, particularly if ordered by your physician. We recommend you check with your insurance company or employer prior to having your mammogram. Please bring your insurance information with you to your appointment.
HOURS:
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and evening appointments are also available.
For a screening mammogram or an osteoporosis testing appointment, call Centralized Scheduling, (310) 517-4738.
For more information or to schedule a diagnostic study, call (310) 517-4709
LOCATIONS:
The Vasek & Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center provides a full range of diagnostic services in our convenient and comfortable Torrance location. Screening mammography services are also available at our satellite locations in Carson, Manhattan Beach and at Peninsula Center Rolling Hills Estates. Staffed by women, the centers cater to women's needs for personal, friendly care.
Torrance
Vasek and Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center
3275 Skypark Drive
Torrance, California 90505
Phone: (310) 517-4709
Fax: (310) 784-6377
Carson
Torrance Memorial Breast Diagnostic Center
824 E. Carson Street, Suite 208
Carson, California 90745
Phone: (310) 233-3230
Fax: (310) 233-3233
Manhattan Beach
Torrance Memorial Breast Diagnostic Center
855 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Suite 208
Manhattan Beach, California 90266
Phone: (310) 939-7864
Fax: (310) 939-7865
Rolling Hills Estates
Torrance Memorial Breast Diagnostic Center
65 Peninsula Center
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL: (310) 517-4738
| Torrance Memorial Medical Center wishes to express its continued gratitude to Vasek Polak. Through his generosity he has left a legacy for the health of the residents of the South Bay. To learn more about this extraordinary man, click on his name above. |
Breast Health and Cancer Web Links:
Cornell University (Breast Cancer)
http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/bcerf
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
http://www.komen.org
Susan Love
http://susanlovemd.com
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
http://www.Y-Me.org
For more internet resources please see http://www.torrancememorial.org/libnet.htm
American Foundation for Urologic Diseases
http://www.afud.org
Cure for Lymphoma Foundation
http://www.cfl.org
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
http://www.multiplemyeloma.org
National Cancer Institute
http://www.nci.nih.gov
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
http://www.ovarian.org
Oncolink - University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center
http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/disease/(Disease Oriented Menus)
US TOO International (Prostate Cancer)
http://www.ustoo.com
Women's Cancer Network
http://www.wcn.org
