THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 1996 TAG: 9609040422
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 81 lines
Shirley Bisciligia, 46, has two goals in life: to live to be 80, and to look as good as possible along the way.
With a $25 million grant from Congress, she may well do both.
The National Defense Authorization Act has allocated the money to improve prevention, diagnosis and education in breast cancer for active-duty military women and military family members.
With today's women facing a one-in-eight chance of developing breast cancer - as Bisciligia did - early detection of the disease is more important than ever. And, with the mobile nature of the military population, breast health education and screening aren't always available.
Tricare Mid-Atlantic Region 2 - the area that covers most of Virginia and all of North Carolina - received the largest single chunk of money: $3 million.
For Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, the largest of eight military medical treatment centers in the region, that's more than a half-million dollars, or 40 percent of the initial funding, awarded in July.
The money is earmarked for the education of physicians and other health care providers who are trying to detect breast cancer.
``The area of breast health care is changing quickly, and it can be daunting to address for young doctors,'' said Cmdr. Mark Sobczak, director of the naval hospital's radiation oncology department.
``Our doctors need to know how to give, and read, a good mammogram, how to teach breast self-examination, how to remove hesitancy in getting women to come in for exams, how to provide resources,'' said Sobczak, who is also director of the breast health task force for Tricare Region 2.
Like early funds, those to be awarded in the next year will go for education, too. But rather than being used for training health care providers, the money will go toward using existing mammography units in area military clinics.
In addition, two mobile mammography units are being purchased to take screening to female sailors and soldiers stationed on ships or in units not located near clinics.
Breast cancer is also a surgical issue, Sobczak said, and surgeons at Portsmouth Naval Hospital see 100 to 120 new cases each year.
``We can't prevent breast cancer right now,'' he said, ``but we can make women aware of the risks, and their responsibilities for early detection. That's the key to survival.''
Shirley Bisciligia took breast self-examination seriously, and it probably saved her life. The results of a mammogram done in the spring of 1995 came back clear, no problems. But three weeks later, while taking a shower, Bisciligia discovered a large lump in one of her breasts.
She had an infiltrative breast cancer that required a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.
She chose to have breast reconstruction immediately, while she was still in surgery for the mastectomy. Rather than a saline implant, Bisciligia's new breast was made of her own tissue, taken from her abdomen.
The good news was that all her surgery and treatments could be done at Portsmouth Naval Hospital.
``We've been doing breast reconstruction here ever since the procedure's been available, maybe 20 years,'' said Cmdr. Patrick Lappert, staff plastic surgeon and assistant department head.
The hospital does eight to 12 breast reconstructions each month.
While most breast cancers occur in women 50 to 70 years old, there are risks other than age, Lappert said. Having lumpy breasts, which are difficult to examine, or having had one previous breast cancer, as well as having a family history of breast cancer, are all risk factors.
Bisciligia had none of these strikes against her, and her mammogram had been clear.
``Why me?' I asked myself. `I did everything right','' she said. ``If I'd waited to go in, I probably wouldn't have survived. You really have to trust your own reactions and your own feelings.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by VICKY CRONIS, The Virginian-Pilot
Dr. Patrick Lappert, plastic surgeon at Portsmouth Naval Hospital,
says the hospital does eight to 12 breast reconstructions a month
for women undergoing mastectomies as treatment for breast cancer.
``We've been doing breast reconstruction here ever since the
procedure's been available, maybe 20 years,'' he said. A new federal
grant is earmarked for the education of health care providers who
work to detect breast cancer. by CNB