[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/breast-cancer-diagnoses-in-maryland-in-2023-what-these-rcca-experts-want-you-to-know\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/breast-cancer-diagnoses-in-maryland-in-2023-what-these-rcca-experts-want-you-to-know\/","headline":"Breast Cancer Diagnoses in Maryland in 2023: What These RCCA Experts Want You to Know","name":"Breast Cancer Diagnoses in Maryland in 2023: What These RCCA Experts Want You to Know","description":"More than 5,700 women across Maryland will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.","datePublished":"2023-05-22","dateModified":"2025-03-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/author\/ceastway\/#Person","name":"ceastway","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/author\/ceastway\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/007b7979610c70c3cd4b24ed960fb78ff62c0b68401d393e79cb483d56812050?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/007b7979610c70c3cd4b24ed960fb78ff62c0b68401d393e79cb483d56812050?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/logo.svg","width":506,"height":228}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1334248647.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1334248647.jpg","height":667,"width":1000},"url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/breast-cancer-diagnoses-in-maryland-in-2023-what-these-rcca-experts-want-you-to-know\/","about":["Breast Cancer"],"wordCount":1368,"keywords":["News & Events"],"articleBody":"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBreast Cancer Diagnoses in Maryland in 2023: What These RCCA Experts Want You to Know\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMay 22, 2023\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore than 5,700 women across Maryland will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.1As medical oncologists who have treated thousands of patients with breast cancer, the physicians of Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) know how devastating the diagnosis can be. But they also know \u2013 and want newly diagnosed women to know \u2013 that there is ample reason to look ahead with confidence and hope.\u201cBreast cancer is a potentially life-threatening disease, and that makes its diagnosis a life-altering event. At the same time \u2013 and without in any way diminishing the seriousness of the diagnosis \u2013 it is important for patients to know that the options for treating breast cancer in a truly individualized manner have never been greater and the outcomes we\u2019re able to achieve have never been better,\u201d says Frederick P. Smith, MD, a board-certified medical oncologist who treats patients at the Chevy Chase offices of RCCA, one of the nation\u2019s largest networks of oncology specialists.\u00a0\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDr. Frederick Smith, board certified medical oncologist, practicing with RCCA in Chevy Chase, MD\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPaul Bannen, MD, adds, \u201cThe\u00a0latest statistics from the American Cancer Society show that for women who were diagnosed with localized breast cancer between 2012 and 2018, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%.\u201d2The board-certified medical oncologist, who practices at RCCA\u2019s Clarksburg, Olney, and Rockville care centers, adds, \u201cWhile that statistic is highly encouraging in its own right, some background information provides even more reason for hope. First, as noted, that survival rate is for women diagnosed between 2012 and 2018. The five years that have passed since the end of that period have seen significant advances in everything from the imaging approaches employed to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages to the therapies used to treat the disease. As a result, outcomes today are even better than they were in 2018, and that improvement in outcomes pertains not only to localized breast cancer — -which represents the great majority of new diagnoses \u2013 but also to women whose disease has spread to nearby structures or lymph nodes or to distant organs, such as the lungs, liver, or bones. Many of the new therapies approved in recent years are for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Those treatments allow us to significantly extend people\u2019s lives in a way that provides them with a good quality of life.”\u00a0\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDr. Paul Bannen, board certified internal medicine and medical oncologist, practicing with RCCA in Clarksburg, Onley, and Rockville, MD\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIndividualized care, provided close to homeHolly Dushkin, MD, says, \u201cThe improved outcomes we\u2019re achieving in breast cancer are directly related to our increased ability to tailor treatment to the specifics of each patient and her disease. That individualization of care typically begins with surgery, with lumpectomy or other breast-conserving surgery being an option for many women based on the location and extent of the cancer. However, the ability to customize care is even greater when it comes to the medical management of breast cancer, which generally follows surgery and sometimes is provided in conjunction with radiation therapy. In developing a treatment plan, we\u2019re able to consider factors ranging from the tumor\u2019s stage, hormone-receptor status, and genetic composition to the patient\u2019s family history and overall health as we select from a wide range of therapies to implement an individualized treatment strategy.\u201dDr. Dushkin, a board-certified medical oncologist who practices with RCCA in Chevy Chase, adds, \u201cOptions for medical management include targeted therapies, which act against a tumor\u2019s specific genetic mutations; immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the body\u2019s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells; oral and intravenous chemotherapy; and hormonal treatments. The latest breast cancer treatment guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, or NCCN, are 256 pages long.3 That is more than double their length from just a few years ago and reflects how much we\u2019ve been able to identify evidence-based treatment strategies for different types and stages of breast cancer. And by the way, the NCCN\u2019s 2023 guidelines had already been updated twice by March of this year \u2013 that\u2019s how fast new treatments and approaches are being adopted.\u201dThe RCCA oncologists add that advances in treating breast cancer have been accompanied by progress in delivering the latest therapies in community-based settings near patients\u2019 homes. They explain that the innate stress of contending with cancer can be increased by having to travel a long distance to receive care, or by having to deal with city traffic and parking, and needing to navigate through a large hospital. By contrast, at community-based care centers such as RCCA\u2019s locations in Chevy Chase, Clarksburg, Olney, and Rockville, people can receive the same FDA-approved agents and evidence-based, guidelines-recommended treatment strategies offered at academic medical centers in Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; or New York. RCCA\u2019s community-based care centers also offer access to dozens of clinical trials and cutting-edge diagnostics, including genomic assessments, in convenient, comforting settings where all staff members come to know each patient and the patient\u2019s family very well.*******Drs. Smith, Bannen, and Dushkin \u2013 along with board-certified medical oncologists Frederick Barr, who practices at RCCA\u2019s Chevy Chase office, and Chitra Rajagopal, who practices at RCCA\u2019s Clarksburg, Olney, and Rockville care centers — are among the 90+ cancer specialists who treat patients at more than 20 RCCA care centers located throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the Washington, D.C., area. RCCA oncologists and hematologists see more than 23,000 new patients each year and provide care to more than 225,000 established patients, collaborating closely with their patients\u2019 other physicians. They offer patients the latest in cutting-edge treatments, including immunotherapies and targeted therapy, as well as access to a wide range of clinical trials. In addition to serving patients who have solid tumors, blood-based cancers, and benign blood disorders such as anemia, RCCA care centers also provide infusion services to people with a number of non-oncologic conditions\u2014including multiple sclerosis, Crohn\u2019s disease, asthma, iron-deficiency anemia, and rheumatoid arthritis\u2014who take intravenously-administered medications.To learn more about RCCA, call 1-844-346-7222\u00a0or visit RCCA.com. \u00a0References:American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2023. Available at https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/research\/cancer-facts-statistics\/all-cancer-facts-figures\/2023-cancer-facts-figures.html. Accessed March 25, 2023.American Cancer Society. Survival rates for breast cancer. Available at: https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/breast-cancer\/understanding-a-breast-cancer-diagnosis\/breast-cancer-survival-rates.html. Accessed March 25, 2023.National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines\u00ae). Breast Cancer. Version 3.2023. March 3, 2023. Available at https:\/\/www.nccn.org\/login?ReturnURL=https:\/\/www.nccn.org\/professionals\/physician_gls\/pdf\/breast.pdf. Accessed March 23, 2023.Breast cancer diagnoses in women: Recent trends in MarylandLocationAverage annual count, 2015-2019Recent 5-year trendUnited States253,845RisingMaryland5054StableAllegany County68StableAnne Arundel County470StableBaltimore City465StableBaltimore County805RisingCalvert County74StableCaroline County25FallingCarroll County151StableCecil County78StableCharles County116StableDorchester County30StableFrederick County203StableGarrett County28StableHarford County242StableHoward County264StableKent County20StableMontgomery County828StablePrince George\u2019s County717StableQueen Anne\u2019s County44StableSomerset County22StableTalbot County45StableWashington County132RisingWicomico County82StableWorcester County60StableSource: National Cancer Institute. State Cancer Profiles. Available at: https:\/\/statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov\/. Accessed March 23, 2023.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twe are here for you\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor more information or to schedule an appointment, call 844-346-7222. You can also schedule an appointment by calling the\u00a0RCCA location\u00a0nearest you.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trequest an appointment\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRELATED ARTICLES\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCutting Your Cancer Risk: RCCA Oncologists Discuss 4 Lesser-Known Steps\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYou don\u2019t smoke. You drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. You avoid processed meats and you dab on the sunscreen before you hit the\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetting Your First Mammogram on Schedule Really Matters: 2 RCCA Oncologists Explain Why\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere are many reasons women don\u2019t obtain their first mammogram at the recommended age: work commitments and other demands on their time, uncertainty regarding when\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEarly Signs of Inflammatory Breast Cancer\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRegional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) provides comprehensive treatment of cancer and blood disorders to patients throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Washington, DC, area. Here,\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRegional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Breast Cancer Diagnoses in Maryland in 2023: What These RCCA Experts Want You to Know","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/breast-cancer-diagnoses-in-maryland-in-2023-what-these-rcca-experts-want-you-to-know\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]