There are two breast cancer groups, including a new Asian language group formed six months ago that has grown to forty members. Feel Good Program provides make-up, wigs, and accessories for people going through chemotherapy. Patients learn how to maintain a positive appearance and outlook during cancer treatment. There are more than one million breast biopsies performed in the US each year. Eight out of ten are benign.
New technologies are now available that provide alternatives to open surgical biopsy.
When abnormalities of unknown cause are found on a screening mammogram, 3-D ultrasound can provide improved diagnostic abilities. Instead of women having to go to the operating room for a breast biopsy, they can take advantage of the new image-guided technology available at the Medical Center. ACMC has one of only two 3-D Ultrasound machines in the Bay Area. The third plane shows patterns of breast tumors that cannot be seen using conventional 2-D ultrasound. This additional view helps to characterize whether a breast lesion is benign or malignant.