A breast cancer diagnosis is a particularly shocking and confusing moment. In order to help the patients get through their journey, at Hadassah they receive personal guidance from a breast coordinator nurse, who becomes an anchor of knowledge and stability in a complex and challenging process. “The treatment of the disease is a journey, and we accompany them throughout”

By Kobi Leiberman

In cooperation with the Hadassah Medical Centre

For any woman diagnosed with breast cancer, they begin a long journey that includes surgeries, treatments and side effects up to the long-awaited recovery and return to normal life. In order to help every woman go through the process emotionally, medically and bureaucratically, every patient at Hadassah receives personal guidance from a breast coordinator nurse who specialises in breast cancer patients.

What makes the breast coordinator one of the most significant elements of the journey?

The answer can be found in Hadassah’s unique project, “Medicine with a Soul” initiated by the Hadassah Board of Directors headed by Dalia Itzik. The public is invited to choose the staff members who perform special and humane acts, at the exact moment when patients need it more than ever – such as when breast cancer is detected.

A Holistic Perspective on Treating a Patient with Breast Cancer

The breast complex at Hadassah includes a multidisciplinary medical team – radiologists, surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, nursing staff, psychosocial staff and also when needed, fertility preservation specialists, plastic surgeons and geneticists, forming a holistic approach to treating a woman with breast cancer.

The ultimate goal is to provide optimal care while minimising risks, reducing complications and reducing the need for hospitalisations, thereby improving the patients’ quality-of-life. Within such a wide system, a coordinator nurse helps the patient overcome obstacles and solve bottlenecks in the process.

“Between imaging tests, pathological tests, surgical treatment, complex oncological treatment, genetic counselling and testing, psychosocial treatment and more, women can easily get lost, this is a very dynamic process, because the treatment is always personalised and depends on completely individual parameters. To help ease the process and get through it in the best possible way, Hadassah has breast coordinator nurses. This is a position that requires extensive knowledge and experience and is therefore staffed by nurses who are experts in the field,” says Prof. Tanir Allweis, Director of the Breast Complex and Director of the Department of Breast Surgery at Hadassah

Dr. Shani Paluch-Shimon, Director of the Breast Oncology Unit at Hadassah, says: “Often when the patient comes to the oncologist for the first time and receives a treatment plan that includes an explanation of side effects, she is emotionally overwhelmed, frightened, and often leaves the session without remembering everything she was told.

“Breast cancer appears in a very feminine organ, which every woman wants to preserve. They are very afraid of losing their femininity, sexuality and intimacy following surgery,” says Liza Monas, a breast coordinator nurse in the field of surgery at Hadassah Ein Kerem, “However, it is clear that everyone cares about health, being mothers, grandmothers, and they will do whatever it takes and relax, especially when we explain to them that the breast can be reconstructed and achieve great results.”

The role of the breast coordinator, she says, “is to sensitively identify the patient, her needs and desires, and to accompany her in the way that best suits her and her health. Each one copes in her own way, and we try to treat each one according to her needs,” Liza and Smadar add, “It is important for us to have a relationship between us and the patient in which she can share her feelings and problems and that she knows that all along we are present and listening to her.”

One of the most important aspects of the coordinator’s role, says Liza, is helping to cope with uncertainty. “There is a stage where the patient does not know what surgery she is going to undergo, and has a lot of questions.’’

Against the background of the activity of a multi-disciplinary team and comprehensive package in the treatment of those diagnosed with cancer, “sometimes you can get lost, and you need someone to connect all the dots, and make everything accessible in the simplest language so that the woman understands,” says Liza. “Among other things, our job is to help the patient understand everything they have asked for – and thus also to make sure that everything is done as required.”

A Look to the Future

Dr. Paluch-Shimon says that Hadassah’s breast complex also includes a dedicated coordinator for young women, with an understanding of their unique needs, alongside a team of dedicated psychologists. In addition, the breast complex (imaging, surgery and oncology) is constantly undergoing changes and updates in order to improve the experience for the patient who is being treated holistically under one roof.

Prof. Allweis concludes: “We use the most advanced technologies for surgeries and imaging tests, in order to give each patient, the treatment that is most adapted to her health condition and do not forget all along the way the humanity and sensitivity in the treatment.”