Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Care Program

Breast care patients walking and laughing

Why choose Ochsner Lafayette General for your breast care?

About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer, accounting for about 30% of all newly diagnosed cancers in women. Furthermore, about half of all women will experience a benign, or noncancerous, breast health concern or condition. The Ochsner Lafayette General breast care program provides high-quality, comprehensive breast care services including screening, diagnosis and treatment of benign and cancerous breast conditions throughout Acadiana.

Our multidisciplinary team offers a personalized approach to care. We work with you to develop an individualized breast health plan based on your unique healthcare concerns, medical history and risk factors. For those at high risk for developing breast cancer, the Ochsner Lafayette General high-risk breast clinic offers specialized care that includes options for increased monitoring and breast cancer prevention.

The Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Center is a designated American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.

In addition to providing outstanding breast care throughout the region, the Ochsner Lafayette General breast care team works closely with other Ochsner specialists, including Ochsner oncologists and primary care physicians, to ensure continuity of care.

The Ochsner Lafayette General breast care team includes fellowship-trained breast radiologists, as well as:

Breast-certified mammography technologists

Breast-certified sonographers

Nurse navigators at Ochsner Acadia General Hospital, Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Center and Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics

The Ochsner Lafayette General breast care program provides expert breast care throughout Acadiana:

Ochsner Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital in Kaplan

Ochsner Acadia General Hospital in Crowley

Ochsner Acadiana Imaging Services - Broussard in Broussard

Ochsner American Legion Hospital in Jennings

Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Center in Lafayette

Ochsner St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge

Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics in Lafayette

Our team also reads breast MRI exams performed at Ochsner Lafayette General Imaging.

Ochsner Lafayette General’s breast care program offers comprehensive breast care. We provide screening, diagnosis, management and treatment or referral for all breast-related conditions and concerns, including all types of breast cancer, as well as noncancerous conditions such as:

Adenosis — a condition that causes milk-producing sacs to become enlarged and have more glands than is typical

Breastfeeding concerns or issues

Fibroadenomas — tumors that contain connective and glandular tissue

Fibrocystic changes — collections of fibrous tissue or cysts in the breast

Hyperplasia of the breast — an overgrowth of cells in the ducts or milk-producing glands

Infections in the breast

Intraductal papilloma — wart-like growth in the milk ducts

Mammary duct ectasia — widening and thickening of milk duct walls that is most common during menopause

Mastitis — swelling that may signal infection and is most common with breastfeeding

Breast health screenings

In addition to regular breast exams to support breast health, Ochsner Lafayette General offers several breast screening procedures, including:

3D mammography. The gold standard for breast cancer screening, this low-dose X-ray takes several images as the machine moves in an arc around the breast. A computer combines the X-ray images to create a 3D image of the breast.

Contrast-enhanced mammography. Breast imaging done with contrast-enhanced mammography combines a mammogram with an injected substance that makes certain tissue more visible. This screening method is provided only at Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics.

Supplemental screening breast MRI. This screening test uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create an image of the breast. A supplemental screening breast MRI should be combined with regular mammograms offered at Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Center.

Diagnostic testing

Diagnostic breast MRI. This test is performed in the same way as a screening MRI. It can confirm screening results or gather more information.

Diagnostic breast ultrasound. An ultrasound is a breast imaging test that uses sound waves to create a picture of the breast. It can help your doctor see if a suspicious area is a cyst or solid mass. This test may be especially useful in detecting breast changes in dense breast tissue.

Diagnostic contrast-enhanced mammography. This test is done the same way as a screening contrast-enhanced mammography. It may confirm screening results or collect more information. Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics offers this test.

Diagnostic mammography. Performed like a screening 3D mammogram, a diagnostic mammogram is done to gather more information or confirm screening results.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy. During this test, the doctor uses a thin needle to collect a small tissue sample. The sample is then tested in a lab.

Image-guided biopsy. In this test, a mammogram, MRI or ultrasound guides the needle during the biopsy.

Treatment

Treatment depends on your diagnosis and particular health needs. It may include:

Medication, such as antibiotics or cancer prevention medications

Surgery, such as a lumpectomy, nipple-sparing mastectomy or preventive surgeries

Ultrasound-guided aspiration, draining fluid or pus with a thin needle guided by imaging technology

If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you will be referred to an Ochsner breast cancer care specialist. Your oncologist may recommend additional cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation.

The Ochsner Lafayette General High-Risk Breast Clinic provides specialized assessment, evaluation, monitoring and treatment for those at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Everyone who receives screening services through the Ochsner Lafayette General breast care program receives a comprehensive assessment and evaluation to determine their personal risk factors for developing breast cancer. Risk is calculated by considering several factors, including:

Family history of breast or ovarian cancer

Having dense breast tissue

History of having chest radiation between the ages of 10 and 30

Known genetic factors, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations

Needing multiple breast biopsies in the past

Unusual mammogram or breast biopsy findings

Whether or not certain hereditary syndromes, such as neurofibromatosis, are present

You’re considered high risk if the assessment shows you have a 20% or greater lifetime risk for developing breast cancer.

Knowing your risk of developing breast cancer lets you be proactive about your breast care. If you are at high risk, our expert team will work with you to create an individual risk-management plan customized to your needs and preferences.

A risk-management plan may include the following:

Additional screening

Medication to help prevent cancer

Preventive surgery

The Ochsner Lafayette General High-Risk Breast Clinic is located within the Ochsner Lafayette General Breast Center in Lafayette.

FAQs

Screening mammograms lead to early detection of breast cancer. When cancer is found early, it’s usually easier to treat. Screening mammogram results can also help determine your breast cancer risk, allowing you to make proactive decisions about your breast health. Additionally, mammograms can help detect recurring or secondary cancers. There has been a nearly 40% drop in breast cancer-related deaths since screening mammograms became the norm in the 1990s.

By age 30, all women should discuss their risk of developing breast cancer with their doctor.

If you have an average risk of developing breast cancer, annual screening mammograms are recommended starting at age 40.