BID–Needham offers routine screening mammograms and diagnostic imaging, including additional mammography, ultrasound and MRI. If recommended, needle biopsies and surgical biopsies can be performed to evaluate breast lumps or abnormalities. Our radiologists at BID–Needham are on staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. We all use the same standards of care and the same quality protocols. So you benefit from the same expertise that is available in Boston, only closer to home.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, you will see one of our experienced breast surgeons and nurse practitioner Zinat J. Nassirzadeh, RN, MS, WHNP-BC, here in Needham. They work with a team of breast cancer specialists that includes medical and radiation oncologists, nurse practitioners, breast radiologist and pathologist in a multidisciplinary setting. We will conference together to review your information and you will meet with each of the providers. Together as a team, we will reach agreement on the best treatment options for you. We will then help you from the time of your consultation through treatment.

Breast cancer is treated in two ways: locally, in the breast; or systemically, which means treating the rest of the body.

Local and Systemic Treatments

Local treatment can include a partial mastectomy (lumpectomy) with radiation therapy, which is called breast-conserving therapy. In some situations, we may recommend a mastectomy (surgical breast removal) with the option of breast reconstruction. Systemic treatment can include chemotherapy and/or hormone (endocrine) therapy to treat any cancer cells that may have escaped the primary breast tumor and traveled to other locations in the body. Our recommendations are based on a number of factors, including tumor size and pathological features, the number of lymph nodes that may be involved, a gene profile of your tumor, and your overall health. What is best for you guides everything we do.

Additional Services

Genetic counseling and testing are available in Needham if you who have a family history that suggests that you may have a gene mutation that increases your risk for future breast cancer development, or will have an impact on your current care.

Support services during and after your care include:

  • Psychosocial care specific to women with cancer
  • Occupational and physical therapy
  • Complimentary care
  • Nutrition
  • Pastoral services
  • A survivorship program at the completion of treatment

For women who are high risk for future breast cancer development, due to a personal history of breast cancer or a family history, we have a clinic to help you with surveillance.

In summary, we provide services for breast health from screening and surveillance, to the management of breast cancer in Needham, by providers who also see patients in Boston and are providing the same services in your community.