Breast Cancer

Many patients often come to us when they feel like they have run out of hope and options. We offer options beyond standard care, including investigational drugs through clinical trials or compassionate use programs when appropriate.

• Faster Access to Care: Patients are typically seen within the same week. 
• Clinical Trials Others Cannot Offer: We are among the top enrollers in many national trials, including those open to HMO and Kaiser Permanente patients.
• Treatments Beyond Standard Care: Options include compassionate use (single-patient INDs) and innovative dosing strategies.
• Dedicated Support Team: We also help navigate insurance approvals, financial assistance programs, and travel or lodging support. 

Tumors can start in any part of the breast, such as the ducts, lobules, or fatty tissue. The tumor’s location and characteristics determine its type and guide treatment.

• Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS): A noninvasive cancer where abnormal cells are found in the lining of breast ducts.
• Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: The most common type, beginning in the ducts and spreading into surrounding tissue.
• Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Begins in the milk-producing lobules and can spread to nearby tissues.
• Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A more aggressive form that does not respond to hormone therapy or HER2-targeted drugs.
• Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A rare, fast-growing cancer that causes the breast to look red, swollen, and inflamed.
• Paget's Disease of the Breast: A rare cancer that starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the nipple and areola.
• Angiosarcoma of the Breast: A very rare cancer that develops in the lining of blood or lymph vessels in the breast.

In its earliest stages, breast cancer usually does not cause noticeable symptoms. Symptoms tend to become noticeable once a tumor grows large enough to affect surrounding tissue. 

One of the most common early signs of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast. Other signs include: 

• Lump or thickening in the breast or underarm
• Swelling in the breast or armpit
• Pain or tenderness in the breast
• Changes in breast size, shape, or skin texture 
• Flattening or dimpling of the breast surface
• Nipple changes, such as retraction
• Unusual nipple discharge
• Swollen lymph nodes under the arm

Many patients come to us after being told they have no remaining options. Here, there is almost always another path forward. 

Our founder, Dr. Chawla, has led pivotal studies that helped bring therapies like Eribulin to patients. Eribulin is a drug for metastatic breast cancer that received FDA and EMA approval.

Today, our center continues to lead and participate in numerous clinical trials, often enrolling more patients than major university hospitals. This means more opportunities for you to access breakthrough therapies, especially if standard treatments are no longer effective.

Your likelihood of developing breast cancer increases with the following factors. 

• Age and family history of breast or ovarian cancer
• Early menstruation or menopause after 55
• Never having children or having your first child later in life
• Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy
• Lifestyle factors, such as obesity, alcohol, and smoking
• History of breast abnormalities or other cancers
• Prior radiation treatment to the chest

You can lower your risk through routine mammograms, regular screenings, and monthly self-exams. Detecting cancer early often means less invasive treatment and better outcomes.

Our care model is integrated and multidisciplinary. We work closely with breast surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, and reconstructive surgeons from leading institutions, such as UCLA, USC, Stanford, MD Anderson, St. John’s, and Cedars Sinai. 

Your treatment plan for breast cancer may include:

• Radiation therapy to reduce recurrence risk
• Chemotherapy, before or after surgery, or for advanced disease
• Hormone therapy for hormone-receptor-positive tumors
• Targeted therapy drugs that block cancer-driving proteins
• Immunotherapy to harness your immune system to fight cancer
• Surgery to remove the tumor, including lumpectomy or mastectomy

We make it easier for patients to access promising new therapies and treatments. At the Cancer Center of Southern California, you’ll find:

• Access to clinical trials with new drugs not yet widely available
• Same-week appointments to evaluate trial eligibility
• Second opinions for complex and advanced cases
• Single-patient IND options for patients not eligible for trials
• Trial access for HMO and Kaiser patients
• Support with travel, lodging, and medication costs