Catching breast cancer early can mean the difference between a treatable diagnosis and a far harder fight. At a recent conference in Syracuse, doctors, survivors and community partners gathered to talk about new technology meant to make that early catch easier.
“The numbers just fall off a cliff if it’s not detected when it’s contained in the breast,” said Dr. Stephen Montgomery, director of breast imaging at Crouse Hospital’s Breast Health Center. If the cancer is confined to the breast, the survival rate is 99.5%.
The new tool is contrast-enhanced mammography, which is funded in part by a $2.3 million investment in eight regional partners to expand access to breast cancer care. The investment was announced Wednesday at the Downtown Syracuse Marriott by the St. Agatha Foundation, where Montgomery is board chair.
Montgomery said the exam works much like a CT scan with contrast.
“It’s just like getting a CAT scan. You can see an awful lot more stuff when you give the contrast,” he said. “Similarly, in women with dense breasts, the contrast can show abnormalities that were previously unidentifiable.”
The exam is also faster and cheaper than the current one, which could make screening more widely available.
“It can accommodate patients that may not otherwise be able to get that kind of a study, like a woman with a pacemaker or somebody else that can’t get in the machine or is very claustrophobic,” Montgomery said. “I think this is a revolutionary technology that is going to catch on like crazy.”
Cost and time are barriers for many Central New Yorkers, who often must keep working to support their families. For qualifying patients, the foundation covers the financial costs surrounding treatment.
“As far as cost in Central New York and the areas that it’s concerned, they have totally broken down the cost barrier,” Montgomery said.
The foundation also pays for services that meet emotional and practical needs, such as legal aid, YMCA child care and gym memberships. It partners with Camp Kesem, where children of breast cancer patients gather yearly.
“There’s so much else that a woman needs when they are going through breast cancer. It isn’t only the physical, it’s the emotional, the mental,” said Kathy Mezzalingua, the foundation’s leader.
Mezzalingua’s daughter, Laurie, started the foundation after her own diagnosis at 29. Laurie died of breast cancer in 2009.
“She was 29 years old [when diagnosed], but physical, emotional and financial challenges come with this disease. But even as she faced her own difficult journey, she was thinking about other people. She saw people who were not only worried about their diagnosis and treatment, but about how they would pay their bills, care for their children, and keep their families afloat,” Mezzalingua said.
“Before she died, she said, I want you to help these women. They are struggling. I just want you to help women where they are right now.”
For survivors in the room, the support of other patients matters as much as the money.
“I really believe that support and walking side by side with others who’ve been diagnosed is really helpful,” said Kristy Salvador, an affiliate of the foundation.
Salvador is one of five friends who founded the Hooters Crew, a group that walks to raise money for breast cancer awareness. They started it after two of their lifelong friends were diagnosed. Salvador’s friend Allison Griffin said the group’s slogan used to be “Her fight is our fight.”
“As we’ve evolved in learning more about men’s breast cancer and things like that, we’ve changed the Her Fight is Our Fight to Their Fight is Our Fight,” Griffin said.
Paula Hayden, another founder, is a breast cancer survivor.
“I am a breast cancer survivor and also honored to be here and just very grateful to be part of what St. Agatha does, and being the boots on the ground to make sure that people are feeling supported and helped in their journey,” Hayden said.
The group wants to encourage Central New Yorkers to get checked often. Mezzalingua said early treatment makes the difference.
“You can live the rest of your life if you treat it early. That’s the biggest challenge, the sooner you find this, the better your chances.”
