Breast Cancer
“City of Hope provides leading-edge, compassionate treatment with a team approach where the patient and her family are at the center of the team."
Joanne Mortimer, M.D., Baum Family Professor in Women's Cancers
Breast cancer is a disease in which breast tissue cells start growing abnormally and uncontrollably. In the U.S., breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with the exception of skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. It can occur in both men and women, but it is rare in men.
As a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, City of Hope is internationally lauded for advancing the field of breast cancer through groundbreaking, evidence-based research, on-site innovative clinical trials, leading-edge treatment and premier patient care.
The most common form of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, which begins with cells in the breast ducts, tubes that carry breast milk to the nipple. Less common forms of breast cancer include lobular carcinoma, which begins in the lobules — tissues that make breast milk — and inflammatory breast cancer, which causes the breast to become red, swollen and abnormally warm.
Precise breast cancer tests are crucial for treatment planning, and City of Hope is committed to providing exemplary breast cancer care, pairing state-of-the-art screening and prevention technologies with specialized experts to ensure an accurate, comprehensive diagnosis of breast cancer that is crucial to treatment planning.
Your breast cancer is every bit as unique as you are, and that is why breast cancer treatment is focused around you and your loved ones. Our physicians will personally consult with you about your disease, treatment options and desired outcomes. Afterward, our multidisciplinary specialists will work together to discuss, design and deliver an individual treatment plan to best meet those goals.
At City of Hope, breast cancer clinicians and researchers collaborate extensively to develop and evaluate new therapies for better survival and quality-of-life outcomes. Our patients have access to a wide variety of breast cancer clinical trials, including new chemotherapy, targeted and hormone therapies, surgical techniques, radiation approaches, and prevention strategies.
When you come to City of Hope, you automatically gain access to an unparalleled array of supportive care and long-term follow-up programs to help you and your loved ones manage the process of treatment and recovery.
Patient Stories
World-Class Breast Cancer Treatment and Care
City of Hope is a national leader in advancing research and treatment protocols. As a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, our doctors also help develop and improve evidence-based breast cancer treatment guidelines for patients throughout the country.
You can access our top-ranked breast cancer physicians, world-class cancer research expertise, leading-edge treatments and clinical trials at our locations across the United States. We are committed to providing continuity of care that will help you successfully navigate and manage the process of diagnosis, treatment and transition to recovery.
Our Breast Cancer Program Highlights:
- Early detection, screening and prevention resources, including genetic counseling, paired with state-of-the-art breast imaging technology for more accurate and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment
- Breast cancer risk assessment based on genetics, personal lifestyle and environmental factors
- A deeply collaborative, multidisciplinary health care team comprised of experts in breast cancer, providing personalized care and a whole-person approach to treatment guided by your needs and background
- Advanced surgical techniques, such as nipple-sparing mastectomies, groundbreaking treatments and high-precision radiation, such as intraoperative radiation therapy, and immunotherapies
- Innovative, ongoing research and clinical trials, over 100 in breast cancer alone, of promising new therapies and ways to predict benefit from treatment
- A comprehensive supportive care program to address a wide range of cancer — and treatment-related concerns from diagnosis to remission and beyond
- Tests, consultations and treatments are coordinated and provided at our Women's Center for greater convenience.
- Long-term survivorship and follow-up program focused on minimizing recurrence risk and improving quality of life
Based on SEER results, City of Hope has superior breast cancer survival outcomes in the greater Los Angeles region, with a higher percentage of breast cancer survivors over the past 10 years.
Our developments in the areas of breakthrough cancer drugs, bone marrow transplants and CAR T cell therapy are recognized internationally.
Our leadership in research and innovation continually enhances our ability to provide novel and differentiated approaches to cancer care.
Moshe Faynsod, M.D., is surgical oncologist at City of Hope ǀ South Bay in Torrance, California.
Lorena Gonzalez, M.D., spent five years as a noted vascular surgeon before deciding to follow a new path and focus on hereditary breast cancer.
Mary Cianfrocca, D.O., M.B.A., is a medical oncologist at City of Hope's cancer research hospital.
Medical oncologist Manana Elia, M.D., who specializes in treating breast cancer, sees her role as working to provide the best possible outcome for each of her patients without major disruption to their lives.
Plastic surgeon Mouchammed Agko, M.D., understands that many cancer survivors want to continue their lives after treatment without physical reminders of the disease. His goal is to help them achieve that — in addition to providing additional aesthetic improvements, if it meets a patient’s needs.
Antoine Lyonel Carré, M.D., M.P.H., is a plastic surgeon specializing in such areas as breast reconstruction, lymphedema, perineal reconstruction, abdominal wall reconstruction and targeted muscle reinnervation for chronic/phantom pain.
Scott Glaser, M.D., is a radiation oncologist and an assistant professor of radiation oncology at City of Hope.
Caitlin Gomez, M.D., brings a unique perspective to her work as a City of Hope radiation oncologist. She is well-versed in many forms of radiation therapy including image-guided radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy.