Hello, I’m Dr. Mark Burkard and I’m a medical oncologist with the UW Health Breast Center
and a researcher at the UW Carbone Cancer Center.
Hello, I’m Dr. Kari Wisinski and I’m a medical oncologist with the UW Health Breast Center
and a researcher at the UW Carbone Cancer Center.
We want to help you better understand the role research plays in the treatment of breast cancer
and how you can help us find better and more personalized treatments.
Why is research so important?
At UW Health, we aim to give you the best care for you
and we are also working to improve how we identify, treat and manage symptoms for everyone with breast cancer.
It’s about giving you the best care now and making tomorrow better.
These two goals go hand in hand.
You might think that breast cancer research is only about testing new treatments in a laboratory.
But research takes many different forms
and you can be involved in helping us learn how to improve future care.
As researchers, we study ways to improve breast imaging, such as new techniques for screening mammograms
or MRI to help in early detection and evaluation.
We study ways to increase patient physical activity and look at how to improve how we communicate about cancer care.
We also look at new vaccines or medications to prevent cancer.
If a woman has a breast cancer or pre-cancerous diagnosis, we gather samples of tissue from biopsies and surgeries
to learn how cancer cells behave.
Sometimes these samples are saved for future use, called biobanking.
By studying these cancer samples we can learn how they're unique,
allowing us to select the optimal treatment for each person.
We study the different ways we can treat breast cancer, from surgery to radiation therapy to medications.
We also look at ways to improve how we support people dealing with the side effects of cancer
and how lifestyle changes can affect how a person feels
and whether these interventions stop some cancers from returning.
One of the key things about the research we do here is that we share what we discover with other research institutions
and they share findings with us, all with the goal of helping find the best treatments for breast cancer.
We also partner with others in research.
We're part of the National Cancer Institute and the Big 10 Cancer Research Consortium.
Through these connections are working with other cancer centers around the country.
Closer to home, we’re on the Wisconsin Oncology Network team doing research with our Wisconsin colleagues.
At the UW Health Breast Center, we have a team of researchers, most of whom
are also our care providers.
The people taking care of you are on the forefront of discovering new treatments and cures, ensuring that they are also aware
of the latest discoveries and are addressing the important research questions of today.
All research projects are evaluated by scientific and ethics review panels to ensure the proper balance of benefits and risks.
Potential participants are informed of the benefits and risks before choosing whether to participate.
Participating in a research study may add steps to your care plan,
but you are helping us to improve care for future patients with cancer.
As your physicians we ensure you receive the best possible care regardless of whether you choose to participate or not.
And as Wisconsin’s only designated comprehensive cancer center,
we are proud to have made a difference.
Our designation means that we are at the forefront of research and patient care.
Our work and the willingness of patients to participate in research has made an impact.
We have improved outcomes and decreased the complications of treatment.
Because of those who’ve come before you we have the improved treatments of today and you can help with treatments of tomorrow.
Ask your care provider how you can participate in research.