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UCI Health expert discusses breast cancer on KFI

October 07, 2014
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IN THE NEWS: UCI Health surgical oncologist Dr. Alice Police discussed breast cancer decisions with KFI radio host Bill Carroll.

Dr. Police noted that more women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are deciding to undergo double mastectomies, even though a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that they do not reduce mortality in patients with cancer in one breast and might be unnecessary for most breast cancer patients. 

Breast-conserving lumpectomy plus radiation is a much better treatment for most women, Police says. The typical breast cancer patient does not have the BRCA genetic mutation Jolie had, which contributed to her decision to have the double mastectomy. 

Carroll asked whether more women think Jolie's course is the only solution to treat cancer, saying, "Why would I even take the chance?"

Police said "a lot of women just heard 'Angelina Jolie, breast cancer and mastectomy' and decided to have the surgery." Police called this is an unintended negative consequence of the very public announcement but credits the actress with helping to empower women to make their own health decisions.

Dr. Alice Police is director of the UCI Health Pacific Breast Care Center. Although primarily a clinician, she was the principal investigator on a national clinical trial of MarginProbe, a technology developed by Dune Medical Devices to assess lumpectomy margins in real time. UCI Health Pacific Breast Care Center is the first center in California to pair the MarginProbe system with Zeiss INTRABEAM® intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), an effective and safe alternative to traditional radiation therapy.

Hear Bill Carroll's interview with Dr. Alice Police >>

Dr. Police will host a webinar, "Game changers in breast cancer treatment," at 11 a.m. on Oct. 9. >>