Breast Cancer Unit

About Breast Cancer

About Our Program

About Our Team

Meet Our Specialists

Our Facility

Becoming a Patient

Options for Treatment

Patient Perspectives

Research & Clinical Trials

Screening & Diagnosis

Your Support Team

World-Class Physicians

We have two kinds of physicians at Moores UCSD Cancer Center and the Breast Cancer Unit: those who are famous in their fields and those who are going to be famous. While their names might not be household words in your neighborhood, they are in research circles. We’re making headlines here – just not the type that receive much public attention when they first appear in academic and medical journals. Eventually, though, the word gets out about the work done here, and the newspaper headlines follow.

San Diego’s Best

Our breast cancer team members are world-class physicians, but they earn kudos close to home, too. Recently, four of them were included in the 2006 “Top Doctors” list compiled by San Diego Magazine and the San Diego County Medical Society:

• Barbara A. Parker, M.D., medical oncologist, cancer of the breast
• Anne Marie Wallace, M.D., FACS, breast surgical oncologist, plastic surgeon, and director of the UCSD Breast Cancer Unit
• Mark Wallace, M.D., anesthesiologist, pain management
• Noel Weidner, M.D., pathologist

Meet the Director

In addition to being one of the 2006 “Top Doctors,” Anne Wallace, M.D., FACS, director of the UCSD Breast Cancer Unit, has received other honors as well, including: the prestigious Komen Foundation Breast Cancer Clinician of the Year in 1999; the Clinical Teacher of the Year in the UCSD School of Medicine Division of Plastic Surgery in 2000; and a Las Patronas grant for the development of a breast cancer resource center within the Breast Cancer Unit at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center.

Specialists Team Up for You

Our breast cancer specialists all are leaders in their fields – the kind of people you want working on your behalf. Your integrated team of clinicians likely will comprise the following professionals from multiple medical disciplines:

• Surgical oncologist – will perform your operation to remove or destroy your cancer cells.
  
  
• Reconstructive surgeon – will work with you on restoring your breast to a more natural appearance after surgery.
  
  
• Medical oncologist – this physician will oversee your medical care and prescribed regimen, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, physical therapy, additional imaging studies and other medical procedures to cure your disease and monitor your recovery.
  
  
• Radiation oncologist – will consult about how radiation therapy can promote your recovery.
  
  
• Pathologist – this laboratory specialist will study the individual markers that make your cancer unique and work with other physicians to recommend your individual treatment plan.
  
  
• Nurse case manager – this registered nurse will coordinate your care and lead you through your protocol to recovery. In addition to your physicians, your nurse case manager is the team member you can go to with questions, concerns, issues or requests for help or information.
  
  
• Social worker – can provide counseling to assist you with personal and family issues and refer you to community resources such as cancer support groups, patient financial assistance and transportation.

Other members of your team may include:

• Palliative care physician – can help you manage pain, uncomfortable side effects and other physical manifestations of your treatment that inhibit you from a productive life.
  
  
• Psychologist or psychiatrist – can help you deal with the stress and psychological issues brought on by cancer diagnosis and treatment.
  
  
• Registered dietitian – can consult with you about your diet and nutritious ways to optimize your health and quality of life during cancer treatment and afterwards, to reduce chances of recurrence.
  
  
• Physical therapist – may be called in as part of our “Reach for Recovery” program if you had extensive surgery and need to regain range of motion in your arms and upper body.
  
  
• Volunteer cancer patient – has a unique perspective because she’s been there. She can understand what you are going through and is lending a hand to guide you through the process.