October is Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is estimated that this year, the unforgettable COVID year of 2020, breast cancer will become the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. It is likely that there will be nearly 20,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer this year. While almost all of these will be females, breast cancer occurs in men too (about 1% of the time) so nearly 200 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Given the large number of people being diagnosed with breast cancer, we are therefore thrilled to announce that another Breast Surgeon has joined our team at Cancer Specialists this month! Welcome to Dr Holly Keane!
Dr Keane is currently working as a consultant breast surgeon at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & the Royal Womens’ Hospital, and is the Surgical Oncology Lead for Quality Improvement at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Holly gained her fellowship in General Surgery through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2015. She then completed sub-specialty training through BreastSurgANZ at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Womens’ Hospital, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. In addition to this, Holly embarked on a breast research fellowship in San Francisco through University of California with world renowned breast surgeon Dr Laura Essermann. This research focused on a tailored approach to breast cancer screening and prevention, the communication of breast risk to patients, and risk reducing strategies for high-risk women. Dr Keane specialises in all aspects of benign and malignant breast disease. She is able to see new patients at both our Richmond and Parkville rooms. Cancer Specialists has developed Covid-safe plans for both sites and offers both face to face and telehealth consultations.
Data from Cancer Australia has identified that breast cancer diagnoses (and other cancers as well) have decreased since March 2020 coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are therefore encouraging the community to continue to undertake usual breast screening (mammograms +/- ultrasound) and to see their GP if they have any new changes in their breasts.
https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/affected-cancer/cancer-types/breast-cancer/what-breast-cancer
https://www.cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/types-of-cancer/breast_cancer/breast-cancer.html