The chance of a woman developing breast cancer at some point in her life is one in eight. Every year more than 230,000 women learn they have the disease, making breast cancer the second-most-common cancer in women.
WellStar Kennestone in Atlanta has the WellStar Breast Program, offering the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options through its networked, five-hospital system.
WellStar was the first breast center in Georgia to receive accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), granted only to those centers that undergo a rigorous evaluation, review of performance and compliance with NAPBC standards. WellStar’s radiologists are board certified; its breast surgeons are fellowship-trained. WellStar’s Imaging Centers are accredited by the American College of Radiology and meet all guidelines approved by the FDA. Additionally, WellStar is an American College of Surgeons Accredited Cancer Program and is one of the largest Commission on Cancer Accredited Networks in the country.
WellStar’s comprehensive breast care services include digital mammography; ultrasound; ultrasound vacuum-assisted biopsy; stereotactic biopsy; breast MRI biopsy; breast surgery; radiation and medical oncology; genetic risk assessment; nurse navigator; community screening; education and prevention survivorship; and bra and prosthesis services.
Mammography recommendations
Breast cancer is most successfully treated when detected early. By following a breast health program of monthly breast self-examinations, clinical breast examinations by your doctor and annual mammograms, you can help detect changes in breast tissue that could be cancerous.
Currently, the best method to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages is a mammogram, a safe, low-dose X-ray of the breast. Breast cancer survivor Linda Venis knows its importance.
“It’s been 14 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer after an annual mammogram,” she says.
Her follow-up diagnostic mammogram revealed a very aggressive tumor. She went on to have a bilateral mastectomy. For the first five years after her surgery, she had mammograms twice a year; she now has them once a year. She is now cancer free.
WellStar offers mammography services at these locations:
- WellStar Kennestone Hospital Women’s Center
- WellStar Kennestone Imaging Center at Towne Lake
- WellStar Kennestone Imaging Center in East Cobb
- WellStar Cobb Hospital Women’s Center
- WellStar Douglas Hospital Mammography
- WellStar Windy Hill Hospital Mammography
- WellStar Paulding Hospital Mammography
WellStar Kennestone Women’s Imaging Center
The WellStar Kennestone Women’s Imaging Center, the latest addition to the WellStar family, is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. It is one of the system’s 15 state-of-the-art imaging centers.
The center performs more than 35,000 digital mammograms each year. At 18,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest women’s imaging centers in the nation and was designed for comfort.
From plush robes to a spa-like décor, the center tries to ensure patient convenience, comfort and coordinated care. It has three separate sub-waiting rooms for screening, diagnostic mammography and interventional procedures, each with a refreshment area.
The all-digital facility offers the latest in technological advances including digital mammography, ultrasound, bone density, stereotactic and breast MRI biopsy and the nation’s first commercial installation of the Philips Ingenia 3.0T Breast MRI. The unit’s crystal-clear, high-resolution images allow radiologists to see irregularities more clearly; it’s an outstanding tool for women at high risk for breast cancer, those who have just received a diagnosis or for follow-up after treatment.
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WellStar requires a physician’s order before you schedule a mammogram. For a physician referral, call 770.956.STAR (7827). For more information about WellStar Health System, please visit www.wellstar.org.
