Methodist Health System | Methodist Dallas Medical Center | Shine | Fall 2015

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When it was time to deal with
her breast cancer diagnosis, Michelle
Augspurger made an important decision.
“I decided to remain calm and focus
on getting to that last day of treatment,”
says Michelle, a 50-year-old Duncanville
mother of four. “It’s advice I’d recommend
to anyone going through a similar
situation, especially on those days when it
seems like it’s never going to end.”
But Michelle’s cancer journey did come
to a victorious end in August, thanks
in large part to the Breast Center at
Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
Michelle’s journey began last spring,
when a troubling symptom led to a
diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma
(IDC), one of the most common types of
breast cancers, which then eventually led
to a mastectomy.
“Michelle’s subtype of IDC tends to
be aggressive,” says Martin Koonsman,
MD, director of the Breast Center. “After
her tumors were removed in surgery, our
team recommended a combined course of
chemotherapy and targeted therapy. This
treatment plan has proved very effective
at preventing recurrence of this type
of cancer.”
Support and collaboration
Despite the challenges of surgery and
treatment, Michelle says her Methodist
Dallas care team inspired hope and
confidence — not just through their positive
encouragement, but also through a multi-
disciplinary, big-picture approach to her care.
“Our program performs at nearly
100 percent on a range of benchmarks that
relate to patient care,” Dr. Koonsman says.
“We believe that’s a result of working as a
team instead of in silos.”
In contrast to a traditional model of
breast cancer treatment, where specialist
physicians work somewhat independently
of each other, the specialists at the Breast
Center often see a patient together
and meet weekly to formulate patient
treatment plans.
“We include everyone in these round
tables, from radiation oncologists to nurse
navigators to data collection specialists,”
Dr. Koonsman says. “Post treatment, we
have a survivorship nurse navigator who
follows up with patients to track their
progress and make sure they have the
information they need.”
Michelle says her nurse navigators made
sure that she had answers to her questions,
and that the doctors were always willing to
take the time to explain her care plan.
“I always felt like I mattered to them and
that I was receiving the best care possible,”
she says.
6 Methodist Dallas Medical Center • ❁ Fall 2015
BREAST CANCER▸
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Michelle Augspurger benefited from Methodist
Dallas’ multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer.