Women with an average risk of breast cancer should schedule yearly screening mammograms, usually beginning at age 40. If you’re uncertain of your breast cancer risk, an appointment with a breast surgeon should be scheduled for a formal risk assessment.

Pulmonologists are advancing lung care in St. Charles County with the use of robotic-assisted biopsy technology. In June 2023, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital became the only hospital in St. Charles County and one of only two hospitals in the St. Louis region to offer a minimally invasive, robotic-assisted lung biopsy. This new technology allows for improved precision and efficiency in collecting lung tissue samples from patients.

Bronchoscopy is a procedure to look directly at the airways in the lungs using a thin camera called a bronchoscope. It can even be used to perform lung biopsies. However, with general bronchoscopy, pulmonologists can only access the larger airways of the lungs and are unable to navigate the very small airways where abnormal, possibly cancerous, nodules may be. Fortunately, a new robotic-assisted bronchoscopy technology is allowing for improved precision and efficiency in collecting lung tissue samples from patients.

A mammogram is the best preventive tool in detecting breast cancer early, when it is at its most treatable, curable stage. That’s why prioritizing this annual screening is so important. Read on for helpful answers to some of the most commonly asked questions regarding mammograms.

In the past, a patient might have needed 35 sessions of radiation therapy. However, today, they might only need five. This can allow patients to return to their lives in 80% less time with the need for fewer rides to the hospital and time off from work.