The Breast Health Center at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) wrapped up its annual Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection Oct. 2, just in time to coincide with National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The clinic remains a top-notch facility with zero citings for the 21st year in a row. The FDA inspection, developed as a result of Mammography Quality Standards Act, serves a means to ensure that women eligible for care at any military treatment facility, regardless of branch or location in the world, receive an adequate mammogram.

"It's an all-encompassing act that holds us to a very high standard both for imaging and diagnosis," said Dr. Cary Goepfert, lead interpreting physician at the Breast Health Center. "We have had an inspection annually since the inception of the program, and we have not had a significant facilities citing since the initial inspection in 1994."

Federal guidelines require all facilities that provide imaging services be subject to rigorous FDA inspections of all aspects of operation, from training and quality assurance programs to reviewing the number of mammograms performed.

Goepfert cited diligence, training and tracking as the key factors which contributed to the clinic's long running success.

"To run a program like this with so many facets you to pay attention to detail. We are well versed in how the program should be run and the guidelines," said Goepfert. "And we are fastidious in doing our annual audits and keeping everyone on track as far as their training."

The clinic aims to serve as a one-stop shop for all breast health matters, from screenings and breast exams to risk assessment and treatment by offering walk-in services to eligible patrons. Operating year-round, the clinic manages on average more than 15,000 encounters annually and maintains an active cancer surveillance plan for all of their patients.

Capt. Shelley Perkins, a breast oncologist at the Breast Heath Center, emphasized the importance of early detection and identifying risk factors as a way to mitigate the number of breast cancer cases caught too late.

"Everybody usually thinks that they are higher risk than they are or lower risk than they actually are. So we help to stratify that risk and figure out how to keep people safe for their whole lives," said Perkins. "With early detection I can do less surgery, I can do less invasive treatment and completely save your life. I'm not looking at mortality."

Perkins also touched on the difficult emotional and physical toll that this disease can have on the lives of so many, especially if the warning signs are unseen or ignored due to the reluctance of having a screening performed.

"People say that mammograms are painful but cancer is painful, and we want to catch things before they turn into something that is painful like cancer. That is why early detection is our friend," said Perkins.

With October designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when the spotlight is placed on breast health education and research, this is the time of year when women are encouraged to visit health clinics for their annual breast health screenings and to embrace the process. This year the American Cancer Society (ACS) released new recommendations for breast cancer screenings suggesting that women wait until age 45 before starting their annual screenings for breast cancer. They also suggest women reduce the frequency of screening to once every two years after age 55 depending on risk factors.

The medical professionals at NMCSD Breast Health Center acknowledged the new ACS guidelines, but are currently waiting to hear from policy makers at the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) on what recommendations the clinic will make.

"The center is awaiting guidance from BUMED as to what the official naval policy will be. Short of that, this clinic will continue to ask women to begin screening at 40 and continue to screen every year for as long as their health permits," said Goepfert. "I think the important thing to take away from this is that every woman needs to be proactive about their healthcare, they need to know their risk."

For more information on breast health visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsdtest/pages/care/breast-health-center.aspx

For more news from Navy Public Affairs Support Element, visit www.navy.mil/.