Breast cancer nurse navigators help through diagnosis, treatment

By William K. Alcorn | October 18, 2015 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Nurse navigators, with skill and compassion, often bring breast-cancer patients the bad news and then stay with them through their treatment.

Jill Townsend, who along with Suzanne Zupko, is a registered nurse navigator at the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center, says it is “one of the most-rewarding and difficult jobs” she has had in her 27 years as a nurse, the last five as a navigator.

“So often, I am the bearer of bad news. I have done that twice this morning,” Townsend said the day she and Zupko were interviewed.

It’s always difficult, but especially so when they are young and may have children, and usually they have a more-aggressive form of cancer. It is most difficult when the diagnosis comes out of the blue with no risk factors, she said.

“Most of the time, if breast cancer is caught early, women do well. They have a high survival rate for five years and beyond,” Townsend said.

But a poll of women revealed that breast cancer is their most-feared diagnosis.

“They see it as a death sentence. We try to help them understand that the majority of time, it is not,” said Townsend of Bristolville.

A certified breast cancer navigator, Townsend graduated from the former Warren Western Reserve High School licensed practical nurse program in 1987, and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in business administration, both from Youngstown State University.

Zupko’s task as a nurse navigator is to accompany patients who come in for a diagnosis and need imaging, such as mammograms and magnetic resonance imaging, and stay with them through when the radiologist reads the image and a diagnosis is made.

“A cancer diagnosis changes the whole family dynamic. They all tear your heart out,” said Zupko, of Boardman, a former intensive-care nurse.

A registered nurse for 30 years, including working for Dr. Nancy Gantt, co-medical director of the Joanie Abdu center and a general surgeon and breast specialist, Zupko graduated from YSU with a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

Zupko said she makes sure patients know about the imaging process to help reduce the anxiety,

“Our main goal is to provide patients with reliable information about the diagnostic process and treatment so they can make informed decisions and participate in their care,” Townsend said.

She advises patients not to randomly Google about their diagnosis. Instead, she advises them to use the websites breastcancer.org and the American Cancer Society, which are sources of reliable information.

Another important goal of breast-care navigators is to educate women about the value of and how to do good self-examination and have mammograms, Zupko said.

Women need to know their breasts, and when they notice something isn’t right, to immediately get checked by a physician. According to the American Cancer Society, 20 percent of breast cancer is found by self-examination, she said.