Routine Screening
The Vanderbilt Breast Center (VBC) is committed to helping our patients maintain breast health at any age. The center offers the latest screening technology in a convenient outpatient setting. Appointments are available from 7 a.m. until 4:20 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7 a.m. until noon on Saturday. In addition, no-appointment screening mammography is available.
To make an appointment for a routine breast health screening, call the Vanderbilt Breast Center at 615-322-2062.
What do I need to do to maintain breast health?
The key components of maintaining breast health are:
- breast self-examination
- clinical breast examination by a physician
- mammogram
The recommended timeline for these routine procedures is individualized according to a patient’s age, family history and other factors. Therefore, it is important that each patient develops an understanding of her unique risk profile and screening requirements and follows through with the appropriate screening tests and exams to ensure breast health.
What if my routine breast screening reveals something of concern?
Routine breast screening sometimes reveals breast conditions that require further evaluation. Such conditions range from benign cysts to malignant tumors. To provide peace of mind and the best breast care for the patient, these follow-up procedures should be done by highly qualified health professionals using the most current techniques and equipment. Follow-up diagnostic procedures might include:
- ultrasound
- ultrasound-guided core biopsy
- fine needle aspiration
- stereotactic computer-assisted biopsy
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- MRI directed biopsy
All these diagnostic procedures are available at the Vanderbilt Breast Center in our outpatient facility, except for the MRIs and MRI directed biopsies, which are done at the Vanderbilt Medical Center.
What happens if I find out I have cancer or another breast condition that requires treatment?
For those patients who face a diagnosis of cancer or other breast condition that demands expert intervention, the Vanderbilt Breast Center provides coordinated care from a team of specialists, including:
A unique hallmark of the Vanderbilt Breast Center is our multidisciplinary clinic that allows patients to see several specialists in the same day, thereby reducing the confusion and anxiety that comes with a cancer diagnosis and decisions about treatment.
And for those patients who need cancer treatment, they have available to them one of the best facilities in the world – the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center – and the expertise of the leading physicians and scientists who work there. The newest treatment protocols – as well as promising therapies that may be available through clinical research trials – provide our patients with a broad array of care options.
See also:
- Breast Cancer in the VICC.ORG Directory of Cancers: Treatments, Services & Resources
- Clinical Trials at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
