- Cancer CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogNovember is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer, claiming more lives in Maryland yearly than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. With that said, we have made progress. Cigarette smoking — by far the biggest risk factor for lung cancer — has been declining over the past decade. About 16 percent of adult Marylanders currently smoke. Advances in lung cancer treatment, particularly targeted therapy, are also improving the outlook for those who develop this devastating disease. To decrease your risk of lung cancer, the most important decision is to try to quit smoking. Those who have already quit have overcome a major hurdle, but some remain at high risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer can be found early — before symptoms occur and when it’s most curable. It is recommended that current and former smokers (who have quit in the past 15 years) between the ages of 55 and 80 undergo yearly screening for lung cancer. Screening involves a low-dose chest computerized tomography scan, which should be done every year. The scan takes less than five minutes and doesn’t even require you to get undressed. Despite the yearly screening recommendation for high-risk current and former smokers, a major challenge is educating the public and health care providers about this important new way to fight lung cancer. Those at highest risk are often hardest to reach, since many people do not regularly see a doctor or health care provider. Ready to Quit for Good? If you think you may qualify for lung screening, talk to your doctor. For a lung screening, contact our Lung Screening Program at 443-481-5838. If you’re making the decision to quit smoking, help is also readily available. Contact our smoking cessation program at 443-481-5366. If you’re not at risk, you can help out during Lung Cancer Awareness Month by spreading the word to those who may be at risk. Together, we can continue to fight this deadly disease and potentially help save someone’s life. Author By Stephen Cattaneo, MD, medical director of thoracic oncology at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach him, call 443-481-5838.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG) Surgical Specialists today announced the temporary relocation of Easton-based general surgeon Kevin Stitely, MD, from Pintail Drive to 505 Dutchmans Lane, Suites A3-A4. The move is part of a two-step relocation plan that ultimately has Dr. Stitely’s office moving to the Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) Pavilion – Easton. The new healthcare pavilion was announced in October and is scheduled to open in Waterside Village next to BJs in 2018. “I was honored to be part of the team who recently announced to the Easton Town Council AAMC’s plans for our Easton pavilion,” says Dr. Stitely, who has served the Easton community since 1995. “Our temporary move to Dutchmans Lane positions our team with other AAMC specialists, including the new office of AAMG Cardiology Specialists, while we build out the larger facility.” Dr. Stitely’s practice focuses on general surgery, including advanced laparoscopic procedures of the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, surgery of the gall bladder and bile ducts, and hernia surgery, among other procedures. He sees patients in Easton, Kent Island and Annapolis, and performs surgery at AAMC’s campus in Annapolis and outpatient surgery at the Surgery Center of Easton. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 410-822-2440.
- Cancer Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogRecently, a friend told me about his mother’s experience with breast cancer. She was treated several years ago and underwent a mastectomy (removal of the entire breast). She considered having reconstruction to rebuild the breast, but decided not to when she learned that it would remove one of the muscles from her abdomen. Removing the muscle to rebuild her breast would lead to some weakness and a risk of hernia. The good news for a woman facing breast cancer today is that many new reconstruction methods are available. The results from rebuilding the breast are usually very good or excellent, and often muscle does not need to be removed. For women with breast cancer who do not need a mastectomy, reconstruction is also an option to make the breast look better after lumpectomy (surgery to remove the cancer but leave healthy breast tissue in place). Here are a few of the newest approaches to breast surgery that have improved lives for women after breast cancer: Free flaps – A free flap is a breast reconstruction technique that uses a woman’s own body tissue (not an implant), and often does not remove any muscle. One common approach is to perform a “tummy tuck,” taking extra skin and fat from a woman’s belly, and then transplanting that belly tissue up to the chest to recreate her breast. Nipple-sparing mastectomy – A nipple-sparing mastectomy is an operation in which a woman’s breast tissue is removed, but none of the skin on top of the breast (including the nipple) is removed. Breast reconstruction is done at the same time. Keeping a woman’s own skin gives a natural-appearing result and means that an additional surgery to reconstruct the nipple is not needed. Lumpectomy with breast reduction – For a woman with a large tumor, mastectomy used to be the only option. Today, lumpectomy is sometimes possible if a breast reduction operation is done at the same time. A breast reduction operation is also performed on the other breast so the two sides match. Sometimes a woman with breast cancer chooses this operation even if her tumor is small, if she was already interested in having a breast reduction. Survival after breast cancer has improved dramatically in recent decades. Because of this, specialists have placed greater emphasis on making sure women with breast cancer have the opportunity not only to survive, but to thrive after treatment. Newer reconstruction methods in breast surgery help women to thrive after breast cancer treatment by: Contributing to a positive self-image. Decreasing psychological stress from “re-living” the cancer experience when a woman looks at her scars. Promoting a healthy sex life. Preventing hernias and muscle weakness that can be caused by some types of reconstruction. Remember, a woman who survives breast cancer today should not have to deal with self-consciousness about her body. If someone close to you is diagnosed with breast cancer, you can help her by making sure she is treated at a breast center that offers all of the modern approaches to breast reconstruction. Author Rubie Sue Jackson, MD, is a breast surgeon at the Fortney Breast Center.
- News & Press Releases, Plastic Surgery & Skin Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG) Plastic Surgery, a full-service plastic surgery practice affiliated with Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), announced the launch of its cosmetic services. The practice opened last fall offering reconstructive and microvascular services in support of AAMC’s Rebecca Fortney Breast Center and other hospital units. AAMG Plastic Surgery is led by surgeons Tripp Holton, MD, and Devinder Singh, MD, board-certified plastic surgeons who offer expertise in aesthetic surgery and non-surgical procedures for the face and body. AAMG Plastic Surgery offers the full-range of cosmetic services, from surgical procedures like tummy tucks, body contouring and breast augmentation to popular non-surgical treatments like Botox and Kybella. “We’re proud of the work we do every day helping patients with advanced, complex trauma through microvascular and reconstructive surgery at Anne Arundel Medical Center,” says Dr. Singh, who also is chief and medical director of plastic surgery at AAMC. “And we’re now pleased to extend these services to cosmetic surgery.” “We’re giving patients a full-range of options to look their best – including the latest in face, breast and body procedures – and doing so at the hospital they already know and trust makes all the difference,” adds Dr. Holton, who also is director of microvascular surgery at AAMC.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) announces Jeanette Abell, MD, as its new associate chair of medicine. Dr. Abell comes to AAMC from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where she served as medical director and section head of palliative medicine. Prior to that, Dr. Abell was chief of hospital medicine at Sentara Medical Group in Virginia, providing leadership oversight of more than 80 medical hospitalist and palliative medicine providers. She has held several other leadership roles throughout her 26-year medical career. Dr. Abell assumed the role of associate chair of medicine in August 2016. In this position, she serves as the physician leader for the medical hospitalist program, palliative medicine program and conducts associated efforts in quality and patient satisfaction initiatives. Dr. Abell is one of two associate chairs of medicine at AAMC. “Dr. Abell is known for being an innovative, results-oriented and collaborative physician,” said Mitchell Schwartz, MD, chief medical officer and president of Physician Enterprise at Anne Arundel Medical Center. “She brings demonstrated ability in driving transformation in large healthcare organizations and shares our strong focus on quality outcomes. We are pleased to welcome her to AAMC.” Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Abell is a specialist in hospice and palliative medicine. She was fellowship-trained in hospice and palliative medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where she was chief fellow. Abell completed her medical training at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and Riverside Methodist Hospital. She holds a physician executive master of business administration degree from the University of Tennessee.
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