Carol Fabian, MD, has spent nearly 30 years looking for groundbreaking ways to treat or prevent breast cancer. A procedure she developed is now used routinely in breast cancer prevention despite medical colleagues initially scoffing at the idea of randomly sampling breast tissue with a thin needle to detect widespread precancerous changes. Innovative people like Fabian don’t let a little skepticism stop them. She has become one of the foremost breast cancer specialists in the country, garnering numerous accolades for her leadership.

It’s no surprise, then, that Fabian is once again focused on innovation. This time, she is looking for ways to work with breast cancer survivors to make sure they have every advantage for living a life of wellness. In 2007, Fabian, professor of hematology/oncology and director of the Medical Center’s Breast Cancer Prevention Center, will open the Breast Cancer Survivorship Center at the new Westwood Campus of The University of Kansas Hospital. The Survivorship Center, among the first of its kind, will allow Fabian and her colleagues to offer needed services as well as conduct very specific clinical research on how some of these services impact the well-being of breast cancer survivors.

“Many women find it difficult to get back to their pre-breast-cancer life,” Fabian said. “At this center, we’ll be using a collaborative model and structured interventions to help them get there.” The survivors will have access to a range of professionals including a genetic risk counselor, a dietitian, and a clinical psychologist. The initial focus of the Survivorship Center will be on exercise, diet, and weight control. Genetic counseling for breast cancer patients and facilitating access to fertility preservation services for young women with a recent diagnosis also will be offered.

Fabian knows well the community she serves. She grew up in Kansas City and has spent her entire career at the University of Kansas Medical Center. What are some of the advances she’s seen in breast cancer treatment and prevention since she donned her white coat in the mid-1970s? She points to two things that have had a dramatic effect on survival: regular mammograms and the development of better adjuvant (prophylactic) therapy for breast cancer.

“Back when I started out, women diagnosed with breast cancer had about a 50 percent chance for survival. Now, 25 percent or fewer will ultimately die from breast cancer. That’s still too many deaths, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Fabian said.

Fabian focuses much of her energy on exploring measures aimed at prevention. Under her direction, the Breast Cancer Prevention Center serves women who are at high risk for contracting the disease such as women who have a close family member with the disease, women who have dense breast tissue, and those who have had a biopsy indicating pre-cancerous changes.