KENNEWICK, WA – Kadlec’s Cancer Center in Tri-Cities treats cancer patients, especially breast cancer patients.
“1 in 8 women get breast cancer. So we definitely treat that here.” said radiology oncologist, Dr. Sherry Zhao.
Even though October is breast cancer awareness month, Dr. Zhao wants to remind the community that breast cancer is something to be proactive about all year long.
“Proactiveness and prevention is the goal when it comes to cancer.” said Dr. Zhao.
Not only do women suffer from breast cancer, but roughly about 1,000 men each year also get breast cancer.
“It’s definitely more rare in men but something that men should be aware about.” said Dr. Zhao.
The way women check for breast cancer most effectively is through mammograms. While men do not get mammograms, they can usually do self-checks or go to their doctor for biopsies or other invasive procedures. The same applies for women.
At the Kadlec Tri-Cities Cancer Center, doctors also provide resources on treatment and resources for survivors.
During the pandemic, cancer patients sometimes had their appointments or treatments postponed because of the amount of COVID patients in the ICUs.
“Even though we doctors here in the Cancer Center aren’t experiencing the COVID burnout to the extent that the other doctors are in Kadlec Regional Medical Center, we still see the affects of the pandemic.” said Dr. Zhao, “I’ve seen cancer patients who found out about their cancer at a later stage because it took longer for them to treat it or go to the hospital.”
Which is why Dr. Zhao says taking care of our overall health will help our local community members with cancer.
“In regards to public health, get vaccinated. Then we can get back to a little more normalcy and have more room for cancer patients and those who needs things like surgeries or other non-COVID related health issues.” said Dr. Zhao.
