Patient stories: Beating breast cancer with good planning and pragmatism

Robin Adams had just returned from the funeral of a friend who’d died 18 years after a breast cancer diagnosis when she got her own diagnosis.

“I am 70 years old, and I had never had a problem with my mammograms, so I was surprised when they found something concerning during a routine exam,” Adams said. She returned for a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound, then had a biopsy.

“The biopsy was on a Thursday, and that Monday I got the results,” said Adams. “Within an hour or so, they called me, so I didn’t have to wait forever to talk to somebody. The young woman who called me immediately set up appointments for me.”

What happened next surprised her even more and helped her feel more confident about what she was facing.

“It was so impressive to have the surgeon, the oncologist and the radiologist immediately conferring about my case. When I met with them, they all gave me their plan so I could see clearly what they were going to do,” said Adams. “They explained how everything would progress, so I really didn’t have any questions.”

Robin didn’t hesitate to admit that she is a pragmatist. “The surgeon said that day, ‘You can think about this a little bit and decide what you want to do,’ and I looked at my husband and said, ‘I just want to get started and get it over with!’ So they got me on the surgery schedule immediately.”

Fortunately, her cancer was caught early while still in Stage 1A.

“I had a lumpectomy,” Adams said. “Even though it was small and the borders were clear, I am going through chemotherapy because of the type of cancer it is.”

The speed of her journey was not by accident. It was the result of Prisma Health’s clinical operating system, called the Pulse Program, which integrates quality, safety, experience, health disparities, value and population health improvement into one learning system.

Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer type treated at Prisma Health and is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Intentional work to report diagnosed results and quickly engage an oncology navigator have led to reduced wait times to surgery, improving cancer-related outcomes and better supporting patients and families through their journey.

“We understand that the diagnosis of cancer is frightening,” said Robin’s medical oncologist, Carla Jorgensen, MD. “It is more frightening when you are not aware of the stage and treatment plan. We strive to have patients seen quickly through our multidisciplinary clinic, which brings together all the specialties to confer on the most comprehensive plan. This offers peace of mind for the patient and a feeling of security knowing they have a large team on their side. If we learn something new when we visit with the patient, we are all together and can make real-time decisions that make a difference.”

Prisma Health Cancer Institute provides access to some of the country’s most highly skilled physicians and health care team members, along with the latest diagnostics, treatment and research options available.