Breast cancer care in the Mammacentrum: cooperation, people work and tailor-made top care
breast cancer. It is a diagnosis that turns your life upside down in one fell swoop. It happens to one in seven women in the Netherlands. But how exactly does the treatment process work? Who will you be dealing with? The enthusiastic care professionals of the Mammacentrum of Tergooi MC explain it.
A motivated team of passionate professionals works in the Mammacentrum that is fully committed to providing the best quality care for women and men with breast cancer. Breast cancer care is pre-eminently an area in which many disciplines around the patient work together. The faces behind the team give an insight into their contribution to breast cancer care and explain what motivates them. A story about collaboration, people work and striving for the best for patients.
Doctor’s assistant: Loes Adriaanse
The doctor’s assistants take care of the reception at the counter. Doctor’s assistant Loes Adriaanse: ‘We guide everyone from the counter to the treatment room with attention and care. We also arrange practical matters such as placing orders.’
Loes Adriaanse: ‘A personal word does people good. Just like a smile. That makes the visit to the Mammacentrum just a little bit easier. If a patient says that this helps a little bit, my day is already good.’
Specialized radiological technician: Annette Schilder
After reception at the Mammacentrum, it is time for the next step: imaging the breast. Annette Schilder is a specialized radiological laboratory technician and makes a mammogram: ‘A mammogram or mammography is a research method for detecting abnormalities. I take a picture with a specially developed X-ray machine. I also assist with the ultrasound, punctures and biopsies. And I inform the patient about the further steps in the Mammacentrum. Making time for this is very important, as is making fears a topic for discussion.’
Annette Schilder: ‘The lines are short and everyone in the team works with the same goal: to provide high-quality care and to make it as pleasant as possible for the patient.’
What does the Mammacentrum look like from the inside?
Physician assistant radiologie: Hester Keuss
Together with radiologists and radiological technicians, physician assistant Hester Keuss is responsible for diagnostics at the Mammacentrum. This is how she assesses the mammogram (the X-rays of the breasts). If necessary, she also does an ultrasound (examination with sound waves). She explains: ‘During an ultrasound I decide whether it is necessary to take an additional biopsy (tissue sample) so that the pathologist can examine the tissue. Taking a biopsy is always an exciting moment, but I believe that it is better for the patient to get rid of it immediately. We always use a local anesthetic so it’s never really painful.’
Hester Keuss: ‘I often hear from patients that the examinations were not so bad after the fact, even if I gave them bad news. I think that’s the biggest compliment we can get. I am extremely proud of our team: everything is possible and negotiable.’
Radiologist: Esteban van Keulen
After the lab technician has made a mammography, a radiologist together with the physician assistant in radiology assesses the photos to see whether further tests are required, such as an ultrasound, puncture, MRI or PET/CT scan. Radiologist Esteban van Keulen: ‘What is the best? When I can tell someone in stress that nothing serious is going on. Of course there is also disappointing news. That requires experience and judgment, because every patient and every case is different.’
‘Despite the seriousness of the visit, patients still have good memories of the encounters. I think this is due to the pleasant atmosphere in the Mammacentrum. It is great to be able to work so closely with this enthusiastic team. I wouldn’t want it any other way.’
Nurse Practitioner: Ellen Pompe
After the diagnosis, patients often visit the nurse specialist immediately. ‘But we are also involved in problems after an operation and during the entire aftercare process,’ says nurse specialist Ellen Pompe. ‘As a nurse specialist I work closely with (specialised) nurses, radiological technicians, surgeons, radiologists and recently also with internist oncologists. Our colleague physician assistant Kristel Lisabeth partly does the same work, but in addition to her work at the Mammacentrum, she also works in plastic surgery. A nice link for patients who are undergoing immediate breast reconstruction, for example. Together we go for top care for our patients.’
Ellen Pompe: ‘Recently a patient indicated that she has the feeling that I am really next to her. You can’t get a nicer compliment.’
Oncological surgeon: Alwine Hellingman
Oncological surgeon Alwine Hellingman discusses the results of photos and biopsies of abnormalities in the breast together with patients. Alwine Hellingman: ‘We also discuss the treatment plan. During the operation, I remove the tumor from the breast. I often remove the so-called gatekeeper node in the armpit. If the tumor is large or in several places, I operate together with one of our two specialized plastic surgeons. These are often breast-conserving operations, but we also operate together with mastectomy, where we make a new breast in the same operation with a direct reconstruction. Breast cancer care is teamwork and as a surgeon alone you are nowhere. The treatment process is often also a collaboration with the oncologist and often also radiotherapist.’
Alwine Hellingman ‘As an oncological surgeon, there are many moments of gratitude. Operate on patients who can often cure breast cancer as a result, with a nice cosmetic result: that makes me happy!’
Listen to the podcast with Alwine Hellingman about breast cancer
Specialist oncology nurse: Susan van der Meer
The first contact you have as a patient after the doctor has brought the ‘bad news’ is with a specialized oncology nurse. Susan van der Meer explains: ‘I take care of patients with colleagues. We support and guide them in the treatment process. We are also the first point of contact for patients and their families. We provide information about the operations and after-treatment processes. In addition, we plan the appointments necessary for additional investigations. We monitor, as it were, the continuity of breast cancer care around the patient.’
Susan van der Meer: ‘The great thing is that patients always find the atmosphere pleasant in our breast center. We enjoy going to work every day. Knowing that we all have the same goal, to arrange patient care in the best possible way.’
Internist-oncologist: Annelieke Willemsen
Internist-oncologist Annelieke Willemsen is an expert in systemic therapy. ‘Think of chemotherapy, antihormonal therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Most of the time I work with surgeons. And that cooperation is always pleasant. The atmosphere is very good and we have low-threshold contact with each other to discuss a patient. We can respond well to each other in multidisciplinary consultation. In this way we arrive at good solutions if the course is slightly different than usual.’
Annelieke Willemsen: ‘Everyone is on the same page here. Everything runs very fast and very smoothly. We often hear from patients that they are very satisfied with the process. You know what’s also nice to say? Recently, we were the first in the Netherlands to start with a new form of hand-foot cooling in our chemotherapy, to prevent damage to the nerve endings as much as possible.’
Plastic surgeon: Saskia Fuchs
Plastic surgeon Saskia Fuchs is involved with breast cancer patients at various times: ‘If the patient has to undergo a mastectomy, we discuss all options for a possible breast reconstruction. In addition, I also see patients who have to remove a larger volume from the breast during breast-conserving surgery. The cooperation with the oncological surgeon is close. We do everything together: from signing up to the end of the operation. In doing so, we ensure that the breast is spared as much as possible. We both have our expertise, so we achieve optimal results both oncologically and in the field of preserving and repairing the breast. We can also mean a lot for patients with complaints from previous operations.’
Saskia Fuchs :’I hear from patients that they actually feel that involvement. We aim to see every patient as an individual and to guide them through this difficult time as best we can on all fronts.’