Expert breast health care in the St. Croix Valley

At the Breast Health Center, we want to empower our patients through high quality medical care, education and support. We combine advanced technology and compassionate expertise to offer comprehensive breast health services close to home.

Lakeview Hospital provides preventive care, advanced diagnostics and the latest treatment options for breast cancer. So whether you’re here for a screening mammogram or follow-up care after breast cancer treatment, we have the expert care you can trust.

After a cancer diagnosis, the days ahead can become clouded with questions. We’re here to help you find answers, talk about how you’re feeling and start discussing your personalized treatment plan as soon as possible.

Our experienced team includes board-certified doctors and surgeons, radiologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, radiation specialists, genetics counselors, oncology-certified nurses, nutritionists and more. We also have breast oncology nurse navigators who specialize in guiding patients through breast cancer care.

Your care team will help you through diagnosis, consults, treatment and follow-up care – with our compassionate support every step of the way. We offer safe and effective treatments in a soothing, healing environment that’s close to home.

Our team of specialists strive to stay current in the latest treatments, including:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy (we refer you to Regions Hospital or the Cancer Center of Western Wisconsin)
• Hormone therapy

Screening mammography checks for changes in the breast and helps diagnose breast cancer and other conditions. For this we use 2D and 3D mammography. 2D mammography takes digital pictures of the breast. It's the current standard for breast imaging and is used at all HealthPartners mammography locations.

Tomosynthesis (3D mammography) takes 3D images of the breast, which gives a better view of the size, shape and location of any areas of concern. Screening mammography is available at both Lakeview Hospital and HealthPartners Clinic in Stillwater and Somerset.

Diagnostic mammography looks more closely at a specific area. Lumps, thickening of the nipple, or other abnormalities may be found in a screening.

An ultrasound uses soundwaves to create an image of the inside of your breast. During a breast ultrasound, we’ll run a small device that produces soundwaves over your breasts. As the soundwaves bounce off your tissue, it creates an image that we use to check for anything unusual. Our team specializes in performing and reading breast ultrasounds to ensure you get the most accurate results possible.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam is done with a large machine that uses a magnet and radio waves to take a detailed image of your breast tissue and look for any abnormalities.

Used to screen patients at high risk for breast cancer, breast MRIs are often done for those with a family history of breast cancer or who have received radiation to the chest. It’s also useful in finding out the stages of breast cancer, treatment options and patient follow-up after treatment.

Regular breast exams and accurate imaging are important for breast health. To make an appointment for a mammogram, call 651-430-4612.

Knowing matters. When it comes to your breast health, we work hard to reach an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner. If your doctor has any concerns after seeing your breast imaging, they may recommend more diagnostic tests.

The vast majority of these tests find noncancerous results, but it’s still important to do them. The Breast Health Center has the latest diagnostic tools, including:

Cyst aspiration – A procedure to obtain fluid using a small needle.

Needle core breast biopsy – A procedure to get a core sample of tissue using a hollow needle. This procedure may be stereotactic, MRI or ultrasound-guided.

Radioactive seed localization – A procedure in which a tiny metal seed, about the size of a sesame seed, is placed into abnormal tissue to precisely target its location for surgery.

• A woman living in the U.S. has a 13%, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
• There are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.
• Approximately 7% of the U.S. population is made up of family caregivers of a loved one with cancer.
• Numerous trials and evaluations of screening mammography have clearly shown that early detection of breast cancer through mammography greatly improved treatment options, the chances for successful treatment, and survival.

Source: American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts and Figures, 2019-2020

Lakeview Hospital is located at 927 Churchill St. West in Stillwater, MN. You can find us at the intersection of Churchill Street West and Greeley Street. Parking is easily available in the lot closest to the hospital at no charge.