October is breast cancer awareness month and Comanche County Memorial Hospital, is the only hospital to offer the fastest testing for breast cancer in southwest Oklahoma.
In the past when a patient had a mammogram and a lump was found, the tissue taken from the biopsy would be sent out of state for pathologists to examine. That could take up to a week. But if the patient needed additional testing, it could take even longer.
Now CCMH offers this type of testing on site. Patients can have the diagnosis of cancer within 24 – 48 hours.
Dr. Carol Dittmann is the Chief of Pathology at Comanche County Memorial Hospital. She says decreasing the time they inform the patient of a diagnosis of cancer is crucial.
“From the point the patient has an abnormal mammogram to the point of seeing the oncologist and making treatment plans and decisions, we aim for that to be less than a week,” Dr. Dittmann said. “With this new technology in house, we are able to achieve that.”
Dr. Dittmann wants to remind people that breast cancer can happen to both men and women, and that this new technology can help everyone in the community. She says to keep up with your yearly mammograms and to get checked out if you feel a lump in your breasts.
To schedule an appointment to get a mammogram, you can call the McMahon Center for Breast Health at 580-250-5856.