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MSU faculty member promotes breast cancer awareness

October 21, 2014

Each year it is estimated that more than 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

And the disease can affect young people.

“That is one of those myths that people believe — they think only 40-year-old women can be diagnosed,” said Dr. Karen Ching, assistant professor of surgery in the MSU Department of Surgery who specializes in breast surgery and breast surgical oncology.

Even college and high school students are being affected now, she said.

There are simple things you can do to lower your chances — like eating healthy, exercising and examining yourself, Ching said.

But there are many common misconceptions about breast cancer. Individuals think the disease is only hereditary, that men don’t get breast cancer and that self-examination doesn’t work.

“Students here at MSU have some of the best technology to become educated about breast cancer, so they should take advantage of this and educate their families back home,” said Ching.

When Ching began medical school she did not know exactly what she wanted to do. After interacting with patients diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided to contribute to the field.

She always knew that she wanted to treat patients with her hands, she said.

“I just found the connection to these women with these problems,” Ching said. “There are not a lot of women in the field, and of course other women feel a lot more comfortable with women as their doctors.”

Because cancer brings a dramatic change to people’s lives, Ching said she takes a personal approach with her patients. She said she never wants patients to leave an appointment scared, so she tries to make them understand that they have options and that breast cancer is curable.

“It’s saddening to know these women’s situations. I feel empathy,” Ching said.

And Ching is passing her knowledge down to her students.

Third-year medical student Evelyn Yeh said, “Dr. Ching is a great teacher who really cares about the process, and she makes you feel a part of (it).”

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