Meet Cary Kaufman MD, FACS
Welcome!
The Bellingham Regional Breast Center provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for all breast disorders. Our goal is to provide each patient with a breast disorder with a rapid diagnosis and treatment options to yield the best possible result. Because of our expertise and state-of-the-art breast care, we service our entire region from North of Seattle to lower British Columbia.
Our Medical Director has over 30 years’ experience in both academic and clinical situations. From genetic counseling to early diagnosis to surgical care to counseling regarding further treatments, we hope to provide our patients with optimal individualized care.
Services offered directly by
Bellingham Regional Breast Center
Clinical Breast Examination
Physician examination of the breast
Breast Ultrasound
Sound wave examination of the breast. This can find lumps than cannot be felt and uses no radiation.
Needle biopsy (rather than surgical biopsy.)
After a local anesthetic, we use the smallest needles possible to obtain an accurate biopsy.
a) Palpable (when a lump can be felt, a small needle biopsy can be accurately performed using local anesthetic)
b) Non-palpable ultrasound guided (when a lump cannot be felt, ultrasound accurately identifies the lump and allows a small needle biopsy without disturbance.)
Pathology Testing and Examination
a) Pathologists from Northwest Pathologists examine all tissue with state-of-the-art techniques
b) Outside pathologists are enlisted when difficult diagnostic tissues are found.
Surgical Care
a) Surgical Breast Biopsy (rarely the lump requires removal without an initial needle biopsy)
b) Lumpectomy (when a tumor needs to be removed with a small margin of normal tissue surrounding the lump.)
c) Cryosurgery for breast cancer (an ACOSOG clinical trial)
d) Oncoplastic mastectomy (removing the entire breast using plastic surgical techniques to improve the overall cosmetic outcome along with curing the disease.)
e) Mastectomy (the entire breast is removed for extensive breast cancer.)
f) Immediate Reconstruction (when mastectomy is needed, we associate with Plastic Surgeons to perform the first stage of reconstruction at the same time as mastectomy.) Recontruction may be in the form of an implant or a flap including TRAM flaps, DIEP flaps, Free flaps and other specialized flaps as dictated by the situation.
Coordinated Treatment
a) Radiation Therapists including partial breast irradiation
b) Medical Oncologists including targeted therapies and coordination with Seattle second opinions
c) Naturopaths
d) Physical Therapists
Psychosocial Support
a) Groups
b) Individual sessions
c) Partners/Families
High risk counseling and Genetic Testing
Family pedigree evaluation and offering next-gen genetic testing when clinically appropriate
Specializing in Breast Disorders
Our Medical Director has over 35 years experience in both academic and clinical situations.
From genetic counseling to early diagnosis to surgical care to counseling regarding further treatments, we hope to provide our patients with optimal individualized care.
Simultaneously Addressing both Cure and Cosmesis
Today women with breast cancer typically live their full lives. For that and other reasons we provide Oncoplastic Breast Surgery to return the surgical site to look close to normal. We mobilize surrounding tissue to recreate a normal contour and appearance.
Although not all evidence of surgery can be removed, we have markedly improved the cosmetic appearance of our breast cancer patients.
Accreditations and Accolades
