Vincere Cancer Center 7469 E Monte Cristo Ave, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
First Responder Screening Program
What is Vincere's First Responder Program?
First responders have a 50% increased risk of dying from cancer compared to the general population. The First Responder Screening Program was initially started because we noticed an influx in firefighters being diagnosed with multiple various aggressive end stage cancers at young ages. This is an epidemic amongst our nation’s first responders. A pilot screening program was undertaken with the Vincere Foundation to study the impact of aggressive early cancer screening in Firefighters and First Responders.
We are now into the fifth year of the program and truly impacting the lives of so many. We now are contracted with the City of Phoenix for First Responder Cancer Screening as well as many other cities in the valley. The screening consists of a comprehensive visit in which a first responder comes in with his/ her exposure records and sees several doctors in this visit - Dr. Vershalee Shukla (Radiation Oncologist, Program Director), Dr. Pablo Prichard (Surgery Director), Dr. Larry Bans (Urologist), Dr. Carlos Rodriguez (Dermatologist), and multiple Gastroenterologists as well as Pathology and Radiology.
Are you part of the Phoenix Fire Department and participating cities and interested in an appointment? Fill out the form below and we will call you within 1 business day to get you on our schedule.
Quantitative Transmission Ultrasound
QT Ultrasound
Vincere is proud to offer QT Ultrasound to the Greater Phoenix/Scottsdale Area.
While there is no current replacement for traditional mammograms, QT Ultrasound offers a novel way of imaging the breast. Mammograms are a very important tool in breast screening for cancer, but it also has its limitations. Breast cancer is sadly becoming more prevalent in younger women, and often is present before a mammogram can detect a mass. The reason for this is that mammograms are best suited for women with breast tissue that is less dense. When breast tissue is dense, which is usually the case for women under 40, and some women over 40, it is very difficult for a radiologist to find a small mass causing distortion in a sea of white. Traditional ultrasound is used in these patients to try to search for masses. Traditional ultrasound uses older Reflective Ultrasound technology, where the ultrasound waves bounce off of the breast tissue and back to the receiver which interprets the data. This results in an image that is only a small part of the whole. With Transmission Ultrasound, the ultrasound waves travel through the breast tissue and the receiver is on the opposite side of the breast reading the data. This is performed in true 3D to form a more complete picture of the breast. The images resemble those of an MRI, and show detail down to the ductal level.
Another benefit of QT Ultrasound, is that it is better at seeing around breast implants. Traditional Mammograms can only see what is squeezed between the imaging plates. A breast implant can inhibit how much of the breast tissue is visualized. Since there is no squeezing in QT Ultrasound, the imaging see the breast tissue that is placed in the water bath while the patient is laying down on her stomach.
Finally, QT Ultrasound does not use radiation for imaging as mammograms do.
Please Sign up below to have us contact you about scheduling your QT Ultrasound.
First Responder Stories
Jason Underwood Chandler Fire Department
Thank you to Dr Shukla and her team for offering the Free First Responders Cancer Screening
program. As a 42 year old, 20+ year fire fighter, I took advantage of the cancer screening to
gain peace of mind and to get a clean bill of health. The last thing I anticipated was for Dr
Shukla to find a rare mediastinal mass in its early stages. This particular type is not usually
found until its has progressed into later stages of cancer. Throughout treatment, their care and
compassion was evident and helped ease stress for me and my family. Less than 1 month after
surgery to remove the tumor, I was back to working on my fire truck, running and biking in my
free time and feeling better than before. Had the First Responder Cancer Screening not been
offered or available, I am sure this cancer would have not have been found until it was too late.
Thank you again Dr Shukla and everyone on her incredible team.
