Group Health Cancer Care Focuses on Early Detection

Early detection is often the key to successful treatment of cancer.

At Group Health, our relentless focus on preventive care — education about early warning signs, regular screenings such as mammograms and sigmoidoscopies, regular physical exams, and constant attention to risk factors — makes us better equipped than many health care systems to spot possible signs of cancer early.

Back to: Cancer Treatment and Care at Group Health

"The earlier the cancer diagnosis, the better the chance of a cure," says oncologist Eric Feldman, MD. On the other hand, failing to have a screening mammogram has been shown to put women at risk for late-stage breast cancer.

Patients get letters and online reminders when they are due for screenings. All patients are encouraged to complete an annual health risk assessment — called the Health Profile — that alerts their doctor to early warning signs, family medical history, and environmental, occupational and lifestyle factors that may put them at risk for developing cancer.

Patients whose family history suggests inherited susceptibility to cancer are often referred to our medical genetics department for evaluation and genetic testing. Recognizing this predisposition to cancer may help prevent the disease, or at least catch it in its earliest and most treatable stage.

While most cancers are discovered through preventive screening, some are caught during routine office visits. Dr. James Bergman, a family medicine doctor at our Factoria Medical Center, spotted a mole on the foot of a patient during an annual exam, and referred him to a specialist for a biopsy. "It turned out to be an early stage of melanoma, and was treated successfully," he says.

Another factor in early detection is imaging technology such as CT scans and MRIs that allow physicians to observe not only the location of tumors but their activity and function. Group Health's electronic "picture archiving and communication system" (PACS) allows physicians to view digital images of X-rays and scans online immediately, to share them with other doctors, and show them to patients during office visits.

At the heart Group Health's care is the strong relationship between patients and their personal physicians — physicians like Dr. Bergman. "The better we know our patients, the better they do," he says. "We listen to them, educate them, answer their questions, and address their concerns. We discuss all the options, and their personal preferences, and make decisions together."

Personal physicians, working closely with cancer specialists, coordinate all elements of a cancer patient's care. Also valuable is our electronic medical records system. "Electronic medical records help us avoid unnecessary duplication of tests, and keep us from missing important points as we transfer care back and forth from one clinician to another," says Dr. Feldman.