McLaren Port Huron, part of McLaren Health Care and the leading Blue Water Area health care provider, has expanded its women’s health and breast cancer care capabilities with the introduction of an upright breast biopsy system for enhanced clinical capabilities and overall patient experience through the hospital’s Demashkieh Women’s Wellness Place.
Traditionally, breast biopsies require patients to step up onto the procedure table and lay flat in the prone position for the duration of the procedure. The Affirm® Breast Biopsy Guidance System provides for patients’ comfort by allowing them to sit upright for their breast biopsy, the procedure to thoroughly diagnose suspected cancer detected during a screening mammogram.
Technological enhancements also allow for very small tumors to be biopsied and result in a reduced overall procedure time.
“Patients coming into our office for a breast biopsy are often nervous and concerned, and rightly so,” said Dr. Kimberley Clark-Paul, a breast surgeon at McLaren Port Huron. “In providing their clinical care, we still consider our patients’ comfort, and this includes their emotional comfort. Expanding the Women’s Wellness Place with this progressive piece of technology has the ability to support many of our patients during what can be an anxious time for them.”
The Affirm System provides for patients whose abnormalities had been difficult to biopsy and who previously had limited options. Suspected cancers not detectable with conventional, 2D digital imaging can now be targeted with the advantage and capabilities of 3D imaging, directing surgeons to tumors that once had been difficult to pinpoint for an accurate biopsy.
“When it comes to cancer care, the teams at McLaren and Karmanos understand the many challenges our patients encounter, and we are committed to seeing our patients through this journey,” said Eric Cecava, McLaren Port Huron President and CEO. “We’re very glad to be in the position to expand our services to offer this technology and system that provides for many of our patients’ needs.”
Located within the McLaren Port Huron’s main campus, the Demashkieh Women Wellness Place provides for the women of the Blue Water Area, which include the mammography and the capabilities to detect breast cancer in its earliest forms, with comprehensive care in a single location.
Should a biopsy confirm the unfortunate presence of cancer, the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Port Huron, part of the statewide Karmanos Cancer Network anchored by the world-renown Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, is the area’s leader in cancer care and treatment, bringing advanced technology and the latest treatments developed through clinical trials to patients in Port Huron and throughout the state.
Learn more about all of the care capabilities of the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Port Huron at mclaren.org/porthuron.
About McLaren Port Huron
McLaren Port Huron is a 186-bed non-profit hospital located in Port Huron, Michigan, with a strong history of providing quality, compassionate care to residents living in St. Clair and Sanilac counties. It has earned repeated recognition for both clinical excellence and patient safety from nationally renowned health care rating organizations. McLaren Port Huron provides a full range of services, including cardiovascular care, award-winning cancer services through the Karmanos Cancer Institute, orthopedic services, and general, bariatric and robotic-assisted surgeries. The hospital is nationally verified as a Level III Trauma Center and operates the busiest Emergency Department in St. Clair County. Other services include family birthing services and the only accredited sleep center in the region. In addition to its main campus in Port Huron, the hospital operates community health centers in Marysville, Yale, Lexington, and St. Clair. Learn more at mclaren.org/porthuron.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.