Long known as one of Israel’s leading hospitals for the treatment of breast cancer and related conditions, in recent weeks Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center opened the all new Diagnostic Breast Health Center, a comprehensive facility for the identification and diagnosis of growths and tumors in the breast. The Center will be directed by one of Israel’s premier breast cancer diagnostic experts, Dr. Strano, who emigrated to Israel from South Africa over twenty years ago.
Dr. Strano says that the key element to surviving breast cancer is early detection and that particularly women at risk should undergo regular examinations so that any potentially dangerous growths can be identified before they are able to spread.“The reality is that an average of one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. The mainstay, indeed the cornerstone, of facilitating a favorable prognostic outcome is early detection and treatment while the tumor is still small and localized to the breast. Mammography and where necessary, ultrasound, are the fundamental examinations needed for this early detection.”
Dr. Strano says that while all women are at a risk for breast cancer, when it comes to women from the Ashkenazi community, the chances of developing the disease are higher. “Women of Ashkenazi background who have been proven to carry the BRCA gene should in addition to mammographies and ultrasound be sure to undergo an MRI no less than once a year.”
The Shaare Zedek center distinguishes itself by implementing a truly comprehensive approach. “What Shaare Zedek has opened is a comprehensive breast center and introduced the concept of one stop breast care to the benefit of our patients,” Dr. Strano says. “People who require a mammogram or biopsy will have them settled with one visit without the need to get additional referrals or going back to their kupah (HMO) to get new forms.” Dr. Starno confirmed that the hospital is in the process of finalizing working relationships with all four major health funds. He also stressed that the new Center will also work closely with the other relevant departments within the hospital- including close collaboration with the well-known Department of Medical Genetics under the direction of Professor Ephrat Levy-Lahad. Professor Levy-Lahad is one of Israel’s most accomplished researchers in genetic studies pertaining to breast cancer. The Center will closely collaborate with the Breast Surgery Unit, headed by Dr. Moshe Carmon and the Oncology Institute headed by Professor Alberto Gabizon.“This close cooperation and coordination between all these individual centers of excellence at Shaare Zedek will significantly benefit the patient by ensuring they receive a truly international standard of leading care, all under one roof, providing the women of Jerusalem a truly important service.”
