Woman’s Clinic for Breast and Gynecological Imaging Personalized Care for Breast Cancer Screening, Diagnosis in Texas Medical Center
By Pramod Kulkarni
HOUSTON: Breast cancer is a traumatic experience for a woman and her family. In Houston, we have access to many major medical institutions, which provide breast cancer screening and diagnosis. However, the hospital-based, large Breast Centers can be difficult to navigate, sometimes impersonal and expensive.
Dr. Mahesh Shetty strives to offer a better alternative. Through his boutique imaging facility at the Pink Door Imaging Center, Dr. Shetty has developed a concierge-style care plan from screening to breast cancer diagnosis and guiding patients to specialists in Breast cancer treatment that is tailored specifically to the physical and emotional needs of each patient.
Pink Door Imaging center is the culmination of Dr. Shetty’s professional medical career, which includes being a fellow of the American College of Radiology, the Society of Breast Imaging and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Dr. Shetty has authored two textbooks on the topics of breast and gynecological cancers published by Springer NY. He is a Clinical Professor of Radiology at the Baylor College of Medicine, past president of the Houston Radiological Society (2007) and the Indian Doctors Association (2004).
“Women need personalized compassionate care; breast cancer is a scary diagnosis,” explained Dr. Shetty. “I started off as Director of the Breast center at Ben-Taub Hospital from 1997-1999 and then was in practice at the Woman’s Hospital for 16 years where I was the chief Physician at the Breast center. I then decided to open a Breast Center that provided easy access, personalized care, tailored to seeing fewer patients in a concierge style practice, where a patient can actually talk to the doctor or a clinical assistant, rather than a 1-800 number.”
Being contracted with payors at or close to Medicare rates, makes it affordable to all patients.
Dr. Shetty stresses the critical importance of breast cancer diagnosis for South Asian women. “Some of the women in our community, who have grown up here, feel that they don’t have to be concerned, because the incidence of breast cancer for South Asian women is lower than in the Caucasian population. Actually, the incidence of breast cancer is going up in India as well as here in the United States. People who have lived here for several decades have adopted a Western lifestyle, so they are exposed to similar risk factors. Dr Shetty cited examples of both young and old patients, who waited too long to be screened or seek attention for a breast symptom, and suffered through a more extensive treatment and poorer outcome.
“I have come across patients, who neglected symptoms and then developed late-stage breast cancers, which are more difficult to treat,” said Dr. Shetty. “So it is important to follow the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American College of Radiology recommendation of annual screening mammography for women 40 years and older. Those with an elevated risk for breast cancer need to be screened at an earlier age using supplemental modalities such as Breast Ultrasound and/or Breast MRI.”
“Women have to choose where they go for breast cancer screening and diagnosis because all centers are not the same. For screening mammograms, women must seek centers with experienced Breast Imaging specialists,” Dr Shetty said. “I have been practicing for 23 years in the Texas Medical Center and interpreted over 160,000 mammograms. The experience is important to achieve minimal false positives while not missing a cancer.”
“It is critical to find cancers when they are small and curable,” said Dr. Shetty”
In addition to breast cancer, Dr. Shetty also specializes in Gynecological Imaging with a special interest in Pelvic (Gynecological) Ultrasound that is also available at his center. Dr Shetty also offers second opinions and consultations.