Our mission is to provide breast care to women in Springfield and central and southern Illinois that is :
Patient Centered:
Comparison of Breast Health Work-up
Common Breast Care Practice outside SIU Breast Center:
A 55 year old woman detects a lump in her breast on self-exam and makes an appointment with her health care provider which may take several days or a week.
| TIMELINE | TYPE OF VISIT OR PROCEDURE PERFORMED | |
| Step 1 | Day 1 | Visit with Primary Health Care provider or Obstetrician/Gynecologist |
| Step 2 | up to 1 week | Mammography |
| Step 3 | 1 or 2 weeks | Recall for additional images, breast ultrasound and / or needle core breast biopsy if needed. If results indicate a need for a surgical consultation, an appointment is schedueled. |
| Step 4 | 1 or 2 weeks | Visit with surgeon |
| Step 5 | up to 1 week | Excisional Biopsy in the Operating Room or needle core biopsy |
| Step 6 | within 1 week | Visit to surgeon for biopsy results |
| Step 7 | within 1 week | If cancerous, return to Operating Room for Mastectomy or Partial Mastectomy. Plastic surgery for reconstruction may or may not be an option in some facilities. When plastic surgery is an option, the time for the surgery may be delayed another 1 or 2 weeks or longer pending the avaliability of the plastic surgeon. |
| Step 8 | 3-4 weeks later | Appointments are scheduled with the medical and radiological oncologist when the surgery site is healed. |
The total time for women to receive services in this scenario is a minimum of 2 weeks.
The average time is 4 weeks but can take as long as 8 to 12 weeks.
Model of Care at the Breast Center at SIU:
A 55 year old woman detects a lump in her breast on self-exam.
Example A: Woman has had a complete work-up done at an outside facility and referral is made to the Breast Center. Copies of all mammograms, breast ultrasounds, biopsies, surgical reports and pathology reports are requested by the Breast Center for review prior to the appointment.
| TIMELINE | TYPE OF VISIT OR PROCEDURE PERFORMED | |
| Step 1 | Day 1 | Consult with breast surgeon. Plastic surgeon consultation, genetics counseling, further imaging and additional biposies may all be scheduled on this day depending on the reports obtained from the referring facility. |
| Step 2 | 1 or 2 weeks | Surgery procedure performed in the Operating Room, when indicated. |
| Step 3 | Within 1 week | Multidisciplinary conference held to determine treatment options. Meet with the medical and radiology oncologists to discuss the treatment options. Meet with the plastic surgeon, if not previously scheduled, social worker and psychologist when indicated. |
Example B: The woman or her attending physician call the Breast Center to schedule an appointment but no work up has been done.
| TIMELINE | TYPE OF VISIT OR PROCEDURE PERFORMED | |
| Step 1 | Day 1 | Woman is scheduled for a mammogram with immediate interpretation. If needed, a diagnostic mammogram, Ultrasound or Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) can be completed on the same day. Occasionally, if needed, a stereotactic biopsy or ultrasound guided biopsy will also be done on the same day. |
| Step 2 | within 1 week or less | Consult with surgeon. |
| Step 3 | 1 or 2 weeks or less | Surgery procedure performed in the Operating Room, when indicated. |
| Step 4 | within 1 week or less | Multidisciplinary conference held to determine treatment options. Meet with the medical and radiology oncologists to discuss the treatment options. Meet with the plastic surgeon, if not previously scheduled, social worker and psychologist when indicated. |
Comprehensive:
SIU Breast Center offers a wide range of services to address your needs whether physical, emotional or financial.
Core services at the Breast Center include:
- Clinical Breast Examination
- Screening Digital Mammography
- Diagnostic Services
- Evaluation of Benign Disease
- Second Opinion Service
- Breast Cancer Treatment
- Education Materials
- Genetic Testing and Counseling
- Rehabilitation
- Support Groups
- Mastectomy bras, prosthetics and wigs
Along with these core services, the Breast Center works cooperatively with Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital to provide on-site diagnostic services including:
- Diagnostic Digital Mammography
- Ultrasound
- MRI
- Free Hand Biopsy (Fine Needle Aspiration, Core Needle Biopsy)
- Ultrasound Guided Biopsy (Fine Needle Aspiration, Core Needle Biopsy)
- Stereotactic Core Biopsy
- Open Surgical Biopsy
The Breast Center also offers second opinion services including:
- Pathology Review
- Review of Mammography and Ultrasound Studies
- Surgical Recommendations
- Adjuvant Therapy Recommendations
- Interdisciplinary Review of Patients with Complex or Advanced Disease