News

Dr. Tim Pluard, medical director of Saint Luke’s Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer and of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute, talks about innovative treatment options for breast cancer and clinical trials offered at Saint Luke’s.

This year, Michelle almost skipped her preventive screening, but instead of skipping, she chose to get her first 3D mammogram. And like many women, she wasn’t aware that it was now covered by insurance.

We’re talking about how younger women and men can monitor for breast cancer and recent updates in screening guidelines.

This week during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re talking about metastatic breast cancer and Saint Luke’s Koontz Center—the region’s only center dedicated and designed specifically for these patients.

The Koontz Center has cared for hundreds of patients with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer since its inception in 2016.

Mindy, a teacher in Blue Springs, has a family history of breast cancer, so it wasn’t a surprise when her doctor recommended she start annual mammograms at the age of 35.

When Maribeth Kammert first learned she had cancer in 2015, her world came to a stop. It was early stage breast cancer. “I was at Beauty Brands with my mom when I got the call. I went into the bathroom because I didn’t know how I would react. I didn’t cry,” said Maribeth. “I just had this instinct that I was going to take care of it, and God was going to take care of me. And if the outcome wasn’t what I wanted, I’d be okay with that.”

Sixteen-year-old Cheri Rich has sewn more than 200 drain bags for Saint Luke's mastectomy patients as a way to give back to other families who are fighting the battle against cancer.

Lynn vividly remembers how she felt when she found out she had stage 2 breast cancer at age 44, shortly after cancer claimed her sister’s life.

Reconnecting with a former high school classmate turned out to be a saving grace in Lori’s life.