KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, it’s important for women and men to continue to take action for themselves and others throughout the year.

When someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, it takes a whole team to fight it.

The staff at Tennova North Knoxville Medical Center in Powell sees new patients every day.

“I saw six new patients today and gave them breast cancer treatments told them they are cancer free to enjoy life and get routine mammograms. It’s part of why we do what we do,” said Medical Director of Radiation and Oncology Dr. Srinivas Boppana.

You no longer have to leave East Tennessee for the best treatments and technology. “You don’t have to go to Vanderbilt or a major academic center. We have everything that a major academic center has and we have great doctors,” Bopanna said.

Technology like 3D mammography allows doctors to detect smaller tumors that aren’t always seen with 2D machines. They also use breast ultrasounds and MRIs if needed.

“Even if you have the technology, you have to have the radiologist who knows how to read them,” he said.

That’s where LaDonna Gadell, director of imaging services, comes in. “Patients come to us and say, ‘Hey, I felt a lump,’ and most of the time we can tell if it’s benign or malignant.”

Her team knows what to look for, but she said there are self-exams, things you can look for at home, too. “You can start self-exams at home, and that can start at any age, if you feel a lump or something like that, definitely contact your primary care doctor,” she said.

Early detection is the key to saving a life.

“See your primary care physician. Knowing your risk factors by seeing if you have a family history. Doing mammograms. A new recommendation is to start at 40 (years old.) Come every year,” Bopanna said.

“The most important part is if you feel something, say something,” Gadell said.

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