Dr Mai Brooks, Mai Brooks, Mai Brooks MD

What to do if you have the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer gene BRCA

Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome is an inherited condition that increases significantly the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The disease is due to one of many alterations or mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. This mutation can b... Read >

Lymphoma and breast implants

In January 2011, articles were published in major US newspapers about the association of lymphoma and breast implants. This is called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), an extremely rare type of malignancy. Approximately 1 in 500,000 women is diagno... Read >

Cancer Screening in the USA

One out of four deaths in the US is due to cancer. In 2010, approximately 569,490 Americans die of cancer. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for female breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. A surveillan... Read >

Should women get mammogram at 40?

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. In 2009, approximately 194,280 patients were estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,280 with carcinoma in sit... Read >

What kind of radiation should you choose after lumpectomy for breast cancer?

Just a quarter of a century ago, almost all patients had mastectomy, even if their breast cancer is small. But over the past few decades, it has been demonstrated that for small cancers, lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment is just as good as maste... Read >

Is radiation exposure from mammograms dangerous?

The current recommendation is annual screening mammogram starting at age 40. It is a well known fact that screening of asymptomatic women has been accredited for the decline in mortality of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer ... Read >

Should you worry about genetic discrimination?

Sometimes, doctors may recommend to a patient to test for a specific gene for a particular disease that seems to be prevalent in that patient's family. For example, in hereditary breast cancer, two genes are commonly tested for breast cancer risk assessm... Read >

Breast tumor markers – are they useful?

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. In 2009, approximately 194,280 patients are estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,280 with carcinoma in situ... Read >

How to detect breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. In 2009, approximately 194,280 patients are estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,280 with carcinoma in situ... Read >

History of Breast Silicone Implant Litigation: 1977-1999

The 22-year history of breast implant litigation provides us with a most important lesson. Specifically, scientific study must preceed commerce and marketing. Even if the scientific data is provided "after the fact", it does not stop a legal disaster fr... Read >

Breast Implant Complications

The first documented attempt to augment (enlarge) the breast happened 119 years ago. For the first 68 years, breast augmentation was attempted by direct injection with materials, including paraffin, fat, and free silicone. These attempts led to disastro... Read >

Breast MRI – Should all women get this test?

Patients often ask me: "Should I get an MRI?" (magnetic resonance imaging). The answer from me is: "Only if you need it." Why should we NOT all get breast MRI? After all, we know that mammograms and ultrasounds do fail to pick up some breast cancer... Read >

How to choose the right breast cancer surgery

Once you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, usually treatment starts first with surgery. There are generally two components to the operation: 1) the breast, and 2) the axilla (armpit). In the breast, there are two choices: 1) lumpectomy (removin... Read >

Melanoma – the warning signs!

Melanoma, the deadly skin cancer, is on the rise. In the United States in 2008, there were estimated 62,480 new cases. In the same year, 8,420 people were predicted to die from this cancer. Melanoma is the #6 most common malignancy in men and #7 most c... Read >

Breast cancer reconstruction

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. In 2009, approximately 194,280 patients are estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,280 with carcinoma in situ... Read >