HEALTH
Dr. Lesley Landis, left, and Dr. Laurie Flynn, right, came together to help friend and colleague Dr. Gena Gray, center, take on breast cancer after Gray’s diagnosis earlier this year.
Friendly advice
EARLY DETECTION LEADS TO A POSITIVE OUTCOME FOR LOCAL PHYSICIAN.
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ocal OB-GYN specialist Dr. Gena Gray is used to treating patients, sometimes referring them to relevant specialists like Dr. Laurie Flynn, a friend and local breast surgeon. She was not, however, used to being the patient. When a routine mammogram in April 2023 came back requiring a second look, Gray wasn’t surprised. Having undergone breast reduction surgery in March 2022, it wouldn’t be unusual for the scar tissue to appear suspicious. But it wasn’t scar tissue. It wasn’t the quintessential lump, either. “Just abnormal tissue that only showed up on a mammogram,” Gray says. “Being in the medical field, I went straight to ‘what do I do to fix this’ rather than feel sorry for myself,” Gray adds. She phoned Dr. Lesley Landis, her friend, colleague and plastic/reconstructive surgeon; but held off contacting Flynn, a friend and breast surgeon, who was on vacation. Flynn’s staff, however, learned of the diagnosis and alerted their boss, who called Gray immediately. Flynn says, “I didn’t want her to wonder what was going to happen.” “Dr. Flynn has been a breast surgeon 84 TulsaPeople OCTOBER 2023
here for a long time. I’ve recommended a lot of patients to her,” Gray says. “Lesley and I have become friends through the hospital. My daughter babysits for her kids.” Gray also has referred patients to Landis for breast and other plastic surgery. The three women often collaborate and frequently refer patients to each other. “It was incredibly humbling that one of us would become a patient, but truly wonderful to see everyone work together for one of our own,” Landis says. After weighing her options, Gray and her medical team of friends decided on a double mastectomy and breast implants as her best course of treatment — quicker recovery with less time away from her patients. Today’s breast cancer patients have more choices available than ever. Lumpectomies, mastectomies. No breast reconstruction, reconstruction with implants, reconstruction with body tissue. Radiation, chemotherapy, medication. Genetic testing also is available to anyone who meets the criteria. Ultimately, providers can customize treatment for each patient and type of cancer. Gray was a model patient — otherwise healthy, active, educated about her options,
and also got annual mammograms for more than 20 years. Because her breast cancer was caught early, “we can use the word ‘curable,’” Landis says. Also, with mastectomy, no future treatment is required. Her probability of recurrence is just 2%. Annual mammograms should start at age 40; or as young as 30 for high-risk women, Flynn says. But despite all the pleas, publicity and pink ribbons, only about 20% of eligible women get mammograms regularly. “It’s so much easier to treat Stage 0 than Stage 3 and 4 breast cancers,” Flynn says. For patients whose breast cancers are discovered early, treatment can be as quick as Gray’s. Care can cost less. Doctor appointments can be fewer. Trauma to the body can be limited. “After (Dr. Gray’s) surgery, I’d go to her house every few days with my bag of supplies,” Landis says. “It really helped me to remember why I do this; really such an honor to take care of my friends.” “We dropped everything to take care of our friend Gena,” says Landis of her colleague, who returned to work in August cancer-free. TP
MICHELLE POLLARD
BY JANE ZEMEL