(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth piece in a series of five highlighting chosen areas of focus for the Norman Regional Health Foundation’s Equipped for Tomorrow capital campaign.)
Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death for Oklahomans. The Norman Regional Health Foundation prioritizes the fight to keep improving cancer care outcomes for patients through its $4 million Equipped for Tomorrow capital campaign.
One way the foundation is fighting is by equipping physicians with state-of-the-art tools and technology. Denise Rable, M.D., FACS, is the medical director of The Oklahoma Breast Center. It’s an exciting time for breast cancer care in central Oklahoma with Dr. Rable’s shared vision of a comprehensive breast program, with surgery clinic locations in both Oklahoma City and Norman.
The Oklahoma Breast Center is located on the HealthPlex campus in Norman and includes state-of-the-art breast-imaging services as well as comprehensive surgical services. With the creation of this new center, additional surgical options will be available to patients. Also, new technology has been added, including a critical piece of equipment that has been gifted to the Norman system by the Norman Regional Health Foundation.
Dr. Rable gave her thanks to the Norman Regional Health Foundation’s Board for championing The Oklahoma Breast Care Center by equipping them with cutting-edge equipment such as the Clarix Imaging System that will allow for surgical margins to be interpreted more accurately.
“The standard of care for breast cancer surgery is lumpectomy. This requires removing the tumor from the breast while achieving clear margins. With microscopically clear margins, local cancer recurrence rates are very low. If margins are not clear, additional surgery is required to resect more tissue to achieve these low recurrence rates. This additional surgery obviously causes increased stress, healing time and expense for the patient,” Dr. Rable said.
“Since it is impossible during surgery to see or feel the microscopic extent of disease, in the operating room we rely on X-ray images of the specimen to determine if our margins are adequate,” she added.
“The Clarix Imaging System provides the highest-quality specimen images of all currently available technology. The Clarix unit provides 3D full-volume, real-time images. With this technology, we can make more accurate decisions during surgery on whether additional tissue needs to be removed to ensure clear margins are achieved.”
It is thanks to the foundation’s vision and its generous donors that The Oklahoma Breast Care Center is home to the first Clarix Imaging System in the state of Oklahoma, leading the way to improved patient outcomes. To learn more about the Equipped for Tomorrow campaign, visit NRHFoundation.org.
Dr. Rable is accepting patients, call 405.307.2623 for an appointment.
Michelle’s Story
The Norman Regional Health Foundation’s commitment to equipping the health system with the latest tools to fight against cancer is not limited to our breast cancer patients.
Funds from the Equipped for Tomorrow campaign will be used to purchase an endoscopic ultrasound. Gastroenterologists use EUS to evaluate cancer of the colon, along with cancers of the esophagus, lungs, pancreas and stomach, by obtaining highly accurate images of the digestive tract and surrounding tissues and organs.
Having the newest, minimally invasive technology is just one of many reasons our patients are proud to share their road to wellness with Norman Regional.
Shortly after her 34th birthday, Michelle Smith would receive a life-changing diagnosis.
“When I woke up from that colonoscopy, they told me that I had stage three colorectal cancer,” said Michelle.
She was confident in the quality of care she received at Norman Regional and expressed how being able to continue working and having her family and friends nearby for support was a bonus during a tumultuous time.
“Having care at Norman Regional allowed me to not have to travel or go out of state to another facility. It allowed me the opportunity to have care and my family within a very close distance. As well as working and being able to have that normalcy of life that I so desired, because I didn’t want to feel like I was a cancer patient,” said Michelle.
Michelle’s journey back to health included colon resection surgery, radiation and conjunctive chemotherapy. So, her experience introduced her to many providers and healers all across Norman Regional’s campuses.
“I would just tell anybody who has been diagnosed with cancer, if you come to Norman Regional, you’re in good hands,” Michelle said.
EUS allows for earlier diagnosis, meaning quicker treatment and a better chance of recovery and survival, like Michelle experienced.
The NRH Foundation invites the community to invest in a future of health care and education excellence by visiting NRHFoundation.org/equipped_for_tomorrow. Your gift will equip NRHS with the best technology and environment for you and your loved ones.
