New Springfield surgeon joins efforts to fight breast cancer

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – There is a new doctor in Springfield joining the effort to fight breast cancer in the Ozarks.

Mercy Hospital has a new surgeon who specializes in breast cancer surgery. We met with Dr. Met Mackenzie Lesh to talk about what brought her here and what we can all do to reduce our risk of breast cancer.

Nowadays you can find Dr. Mackenzie Lesh regularly in the operating room. Breast cancer surgery is her specialty.

“There are many things about breast surgery that I find fascinating. The most important reason is that you can build a long-term relationship with your patients, which is less common in surgery,” said Dr. Lesh.

Dr. Lesh meets her new patients in a location familiar to many breast cancer survivors in the Ozarks. The Mercy Clinic is located in the Surgery Center, a location that Dr. knew Lesh before her recent move here.

“When I was here as a resident and worked with different physicians, I really got to know the patient population and it reminded me of the place where I trained in northeast Missouri. “Just like (they were) a very welcoming group of people who really cared about us and wanted to listen and do what they could,” Dr. Lesh.

Dr. Lesh is now refocusing on what she can do for the patients here. For example, a recent study found an increased risk of breast cancer in women ages 20 to 49.

“We don't have all the answers yet, but some of the things they suspect may be involved, our increasing BMI, you know, the weight factor, because we're seeing more hormone-positive breast cancers, and a higher BMI may be.” be a risk factor for this. But our diet is also a little tricky – we eat a lot of highly processed foods, and then a lot of women have children later in life. We know that prolonged exposure to estrogen when we don't have children can also really increase this risk,” said Dr. Lesh.

In addition to a healthy diet, exercise and physical fitness, not smoking and limiting alcohol consumption are lifestyle goals that every young woman should consider.

“Many of us don't know our family history, we can be observant and try to gather this information as we go about our daily lives. But really, if you can get a risk assessment by age 25, that could mean you're at higher risk or even qualify for a genetic test that could change and allow you to complete your screening guidelines and to start earlier,” said Dr. Lesh.

Screening tests that can detect breast cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages.

These risk assessments have become standard practice where most women in the Ozarks get their mammograms. The risk assessments provide evidence that can lead to expanded screening and genetic testing, which can be life-saving.

So start researching your family's medical history at a young age. And don't forget to sign up for Buddy Check 3, where you and a buddy can agree to remind each other to do these self-tests monthly.

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