In The News
Hoag First in So Cal to Perform Transoral Endoscopic Procedure
Hoag is the first hospital in Southern California to perform the scarless transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy procedure and is one of the first hospitals in the nation where this innovative technique is available. The minimally invasive approach eliminates visible scars by making three small incisions inside the mouth between the gum line and lower lip where … Read More
Hoag Hospital Newport Beach Reaches 10,000 Milestone for Robotic Surgery
Hoag Hospital Newport Beach (Calif.) performed its 10,000th robotic surgery using the da Vinci system. Here’s what you should know. 1. Gynecologic oncologist Lisa Abaid, MD, performed the milestone surgery removing a benign cyst. 2. Hoag began performing robotic surgeries in 2004. In total, Hoag has 42 surgeons and 80-plus nurses and surgical technicians in … Read More
Not Quite Healthy, Not Quite Sick, Women at Risk of Hereditary Cancer can 'Fall Through the Medical Cracks'
Somaya Ishaq’s family members didn’t understand: Why would she have her ovaries removed when she was 35 years old and healthy? Ishaq learned last year that she had a BRCA mutation, a genetic abnormality that puts her at an increased risk of cancer. She worried most about ovarian cancer, which her mother battled at a … Read More
Hoag Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program Names a Co-Director
Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach has named Dr. Lisa Abaid co-director of gynecologic oncology for the Breast & Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program. “The most effective cure for ovarian cancer is prevention, so ‘prevention’ is prominent in our program’s name,” Abaid, a Hoag medical staff member since 2008, said in a statement. “As a result of … Read More
HPV Vaccination and Regular Pap Screenings can Greatly Reduce Risk of Cervical Cancer
Many people think eradicating cancer is an unattainable goal. But for cervical cancer, we are well on our way to doing just that. Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of death in women in the U.S. But we are on the cusp of vanquishing this disease thanks to regular Pap screening and a vaccine … Read More
Breast Cancer Screening Controversy: What You Need to Know
Screening mammograms save lives. There is no controversy there. But how often to screen and at what age? This is where the varying opinions lie. Two years ago, the American Cancer Society changed mammography recommendations, ruling that for average-risk women, yearly mammograms should start at age 45, not 40, and transition to every other year … Read More
Breast Cancer Battle Requires More Than Awareness
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but what we need more than passive awareness is proactive prevention. By virtue of their sex, all women are at risk of developing breast cancer. Knowing your individual risk can help you minimize the likelihood of developing the disease. For example, we know that having a mother, sister or … Read More
Hoag Program Makes Early Breast Cancer Detection its Mission
As women grow older, their risk of breast cancer goes up, too. But regardless of age, experts say the earlier it's detected, the better the outcome. One Orange County program is making early detection their mission. It was unseen on a mammogram and difficult to discern on an ultrasound, but trained eyes detected the unthinkable … Read More
Early Detection and HERA Helped Me Arrest the Spread of Breast Cancer
As the daughter and great-granddaughter of breast cancer survivors, I knew I was at increased risk of developing breast cancer. My Ashkenazi Jewish heritage also increased the likelihood I would develop cancer in my lifetime. But I had heard once breast cancer “skips” a generation, and I clung to that falsehood desperately. Still, when my … Read More
Prostate Cancer: Patience and Prevention
For more than a decade, we’ve known that prostate cancer is over-diagnosed and over-treated, putting men at risk of incontinence and sexual dysfunction to remove what might have been a slow-growing, non-lethal cancer. When active surveillance of prostate cancer was first proposed over a decade ago, men weren’t racing to be the first to try … Read More