Debbie Phipps: Two-Time Breast Cancer Survivor
Superior Technology, Expertise, and Imaging Results
When your doctor recommends an X-ray,
At Hamilton Diagnostics Center, unlike
MRI, mammogram, CT scan, or other
some other diagnostics centers, 3D
diagnostic study, know that not all imaging
mammography is the standard of care and
centers offer the same level of technology
is available to all patients for screening and
and expertise. Hamilton Diagnostics Center’s
diagnostic mammograms. Please contact
cutting-edge digital imaging technology
your insurance provider for complete details.
reduces radiation dosages, limits retakes,
Images are examined and read by a team
and allows same-day turnaround on your
of experienced board certified radiologists
imaging results. All images are examined
who collaborate on complex cases. In the
by experienced, board-certified radiologists
event that an abnormality is detected,
and our technologists are all registered
Hamilton Diagnostics Center provides
by the American Registry of Radiology
patients with one-on-one guidance each
Technologists (ARRT).
step of the way. By choosing Hamilton
The Advantage of 3D Mammography
for their diagnostic services, Hamilton’s
patients are able to follow a guided
Hamilton Diagnostics Center offers 3D
pathway through a broad spectrum of
mammography, also referred to as digital
healthcare services.
breast tomosynthesis (DBT). The advantage
of 3D mammography is that it allows
Hamilton Diagnostics Center offers the
radiologists to view breast tissue in layers
following imaging services:
and identify abnormalities at earlier stages.
• 3D Digital Mammography
It has allowed for a 41% increase in invasive
• Low-Dose CT Lung Screenings
cancer detections.* 3D mammography
is performed using the same level of
• Ultrasound
compression and takes approximately
• Digital X-ray
the same amount of time as a regular
2D mammogram.
• Fluoroscopy
• Nuclear Medicine
• Neurodiagnostics
• DEXA/Bone Densitometry
• SPECT/CT
• PET/CT
• MRI
• CT
What began as a yearly mammogram for
Debbie Phipps, quickly turned into what felt
like a case of déjà vu. This was because
in 2009, an abnormality was detected
in Debbie’s right breast during a routine
mammogram at Hamilton Diagnostics
Center. After surgery, radiation treatments,
and the use of hormone blocking
medication for five years, she was cancer
free. However, as all cancer patients know,
maintaining a routine screening schedule is
key to the detection of any future cancer.
Once the abnormality was detected, Debbie
was immediately referred to Eric Manahan,
MD, and a biopsy was performed. The small
mass in her breast was confirmed to be
cancer. It was a different kind of cancer than
what she had experienced in her first case
of breast cancer, seven years prior.
Because Debbie was faithful with her
routine mammograms, the cancer in her left
breast was detected while it was in a very
early stage. A lumpectomy was performed
and radiation treatments were administered.
Thankfully, because the cancerous cells had
not spread, no chemotherapy was required.
“I’m so thankful for Hamilton Diagnostics
Center, Hamilton Cancer Institute, Dr.
Manahan, and Dr. Naguib,” says Debbie. “I
never considered going anywhere else. The
team at Hamilton Cancer Institute treated
me exceptionally well. It was easy to see
that their full focus is on their patients’
needs at all times. Every day that I came in
for a radiation treatment, they would have
a pillow set out and ready for me to put
under my knees. They remembered that I
had once mentioned that lying flat hurt my
back. (It’s the little things!) Each member of
Hamilton’s cancer care team was eager to
answer every question I had, no matter how
simple it might have been. They put a bright
spot in my day during a time that could have
been a very depressing part of my life.”
Debbie Phipps, two-time breast cancer
survivor and Ruth Thompson, RN, Radiation
Oncology Nurse at Hamilton Cancer Institute
Hamilton Diagnostics Center
706.272.6565
1407 North Thornton Avenue
Dalton, Georgia
HamiltonHealth.com/Diagnostics
Reminder: A doctor’s order is required for all
imaging procedures.
*Journal of the American Medical Association
