General surgeon hosts free breast health luncheon

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla., May 30, 2018 On May 17, general surgeon Dr. Rebecca Gill hosted a luncheon on breast health at the Florida Hospital New Smyrna Business Center, addressing genetic testing, screening recommendations, benign diseases, and breast cancer treatment. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer for American women, with approximately one in seven women developing breast cancer, Gill explained during the event. Most women with breast cancer nearly 90 percent have tumors due to spontaneous new mutations arising in their breast tissue as they age, she said. Only about 10 percent of women with breast cancer have an inherited risk due to the genes they inherited from their parents. Breast cancer does not only impact women, she emphasized during the luncheon. Men get breast cancer too! In 2018, approximately 2,550 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer, she added. For men, about 1 in 1,000 will develop breast cancer. However, for men with the BRCA genetic mutation, they have an increased risk of developing breast cancer; about one in seven men with the BRCA mutation will develop this disease. Gill cited mammograms has one of the best tools in detecting breast cancer early and encouraged all women to get a screening mammogram every year once after the age of 40. Mammograms can detect changes in breast tissue that may be associated with cancers and premalignant changes, she said. Mammograms are the best means to find early curable cancers, cancers that are too small to be detected by touch. That said, they aren't perfect. Approximately 85 percent of cancers will show up on a mammogram, while 15 percent will not. Gill ended the luncheon on a positive note. The good news is that breast cancer death rates have declined by nearly 40 percent from their peak in 1989, she said. The more we learn about breast cancer, the less invasive our treatment is becoming. Each day, we make great strides in our fight against breast cancer as we learn more about this disease. In 2017, Gill opened a practice in New Smyrna Beach and has a special interest in breast surgery and biopsies. She earned Hidden Scar Certification (known as Oncoplastic Breast Surgery) to hide the scars and reminders of breast cancer and is Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. About Florida Hospital New Smyrna Florida Hospital New Smyrna is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital New Smyrna has 112-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.