For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Raina Patel sits down with Dr. Lucy De La Cruz, Chief of the Breast Surgery Program and Director of the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Together they answer the questions women ask most about their breasts: when to start mammograms, what dense breasts really mean, which lumps and changes are usually benign, and what happens when something does need a closer look.
Dr. De La Cruz, who specializes in nipple-sparing mastectomy and the hidden scar technique, also breaks down the different types of breast surgery, including lumpectomy and mastectomy, and explains how surgeons and patients decide which option is right. It’s a clear, reassuring conversation for anyone who has ever felt a lump, gotten a callback, or is facing a surgical decision.
Resources mentioned:
- Free or low-cost mammograms (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/breast-cervical-cancer-screening/about/screenings.html
- Dense breast information: https://densebreast-info.org
- Hereditary breast cancer support (FORCE): https://www.facingourrisk.org
- Find a genetic counselor: https://findageneticcounselor.nsgc.org
- Susan G. Komen Breast Care Helpline: 1-877-465-6636
- Living Beyond Breast Cancer: https://www.lbbc.org
- Dr. Lucy De La Cruz at MedStar Georgetown: https://www.medstarhealth.org/doctors/lucy-maria-de-la-cruz-md
Follow Dr. De La Cruz on Instagram @girly\_surgeon. Follow Dr. Raina Patel @drrainapatel.
This podcast is educational and not medical advice. Please talk with your own physician about your health.
