About Us
The Purpose Behind Our Passion
Dr. Coccia-Portugal: A Trusted Specialist
Dr. Coccia-Portugal, with over 40 years of experience, is a beloved and respected breast cancer specialist known for her dedication to patient care.
EUSOMA-Inspired Facility
Driven by her vision, Dr. Coccia-Portugal created a facility modeled on the EUSOMA standard, where breast cancer patients receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary care under one roof, reducing disruption during treatment.
Comprehensive Breast Cancer Services
We now offer a full range of services, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, breast cancer trials, and a non-profit, all under one roof, ensuring the best possible care for every patient.
Each patient is a most important visitor to our premises. She is not dependent on us; we are dependent on her - She is not an interruption of our work; she is the purpose. She is not an outsider in our Breast Care Centre, she is part of it. She is not here for us; we are here for her.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, what now?
Breathe…
Do not compare your breast cancer with someone else’s cancer. Breast Cancer is a collection of diseases.
Breast Cancer is not a death sentence.
A treatment decision should not be made before all information is collected and the patient and medical team is able to make an informed decision.
The process that should be followed:
A radiologist who diagnoses a suspicious lump on mammography/ultrasound will proceed to do a needle biopsy and send the sample obtained to a laboratory where the pathologist will run a series of tests on the sample and report the results on a histology report (describing your cancer’s characteristics).
This is a very important step due to the treatment being tailored according to the characteristics of your specific tumour..
The next step should be to see an Oncologist (Cancer Specialist) to discuss your histology report (once all test results are available) and your treatment options.
Some Radiologists will refer a patient directly to a surgeon, but it is ADVISABLE to also see the oncologist BEFORE any surgical intervention is planned or carried out as the oncologist will most likely be the treating Doctor in the long term (multidisciplinary approach).
A Breast Cancer diagnosis DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU WILL GET SURGERY FIRST.
Treating the cancer first not only gives the Oncologist an accurate method to assess the response-totreatment but can also limit the extent of surgery required.
In addition, treatment is not unnecessarily delayed by waiting for recovery from the surgery.
By seeing the response, the patient is motivated and uplifted.
Treatment for Breast Cancer will vary depending on the specific tumour characteristics of an individual patient.
Multiple treatment options are available, namely systemic therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, surgery and radiation.
A multidisciplinary approach should be followed consisting of the Radiologist, Pathologist, Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist, Oncology Nurses, Psychologist, and Dietician.