■ SPRING 1995 ISSUE ■ SINAI HOSPITAL NOWNNIPPOng More than a Microscope says the patient, of the report," says Mujtaba Hu- sain, M.D., Direc- tor of Cytopathology at Sinai Hospital. "The contemporary pathologist is part of the health care team, rather than trapped be- Just a few years ago, women fretted over reports in the papers about improperly prepared Pap smears that resulted in a high number of false negative results. As a member of the national com- mittee of the Bethesda System, Dr. Husain helped establish stan- dards for the adequa- cy of the Pap smears in the detection of cer- vical cancer. These standards are used across the United States. "Most false nega- tive Pap smears are due to sampling er- ror," he says. "The cells simply do not make it to the slide." Dr. Husain has tak- en positive action to help avoid this situa- tion. He lectures clin- icians on the proper devices and proper techniques. At Sinai, he provides gynecol- ogists with monthly reports on the ade- quacy of their slides. Dr. Mujtaba Husain, Director of Cytopathology at Sinai, participates on "In 1992," he says, Tumor Boards with several other Sinai specialists. "an estimated 55 mil- hind a microscope." Instead of just lion Pap smears were taken in this reading slides, these experts of country. Evaluation is usually done disease at the microscopic level di- by cytotechnologists." Imagine a rectly contribute to the efforts of slide with 300,000 cells on it. An the health care team. abnormal smear contains only "First, we assure that we get the about 1,000 abnormal cells. "That best possible specimen," Dr. Hu- is why you need a very specially- sain says. 'Then we help select the trained person to read the slide. appropriate diagnostic procedure We are all highly trained and very when needed for further study. particular; we have strong quality With that, we can provide the clin- assurance protocols in our lab at ician with a precise diagnosis so Sinai. Our pathologists review the most efficient treatment can high-risk cases even though the be ordered." smear results were reported as Where is Sinai? Q inai Hospital is centrally 10l located in metropolitan Detroit on West Outer Drive just north of West McNichols/ Six Mile Road and two blocks east of Greenfield. The main entrance is on West Outer Drive. Valet parking is avail- able at the McNichols/Six Mile entrance. \ 1 I WEST BLOOMFIELD Maple BIRMINGHAM \ ROYAL OAK 4' , 5 ,., "'„, •>6 1111 i. .9 1 . OAK PARK _I 11) FARMINGTON \c'oo, m NOVI FERNDALE" Eight Mile O 2 1 696 Vci- Outer Dr LIVONIA ■ • McNichols (six milei SINAI HOSPITAL 10 -6 s c E - a, m E 0 ic fp 3 Ford o Q., a, ,̀2 cri - :E., '- (') 0 `', DETROIT til 0 g ilk DEARBORN 94 75 I incidence Up, Death Rate Down ethesda —According to the National Cancer Institute, the incidence of can- cer has increased, but death rates have declined. Twenty-eight cancers in men and 30 cancers in women were assessed for trends. The major reasons for the increase in incidence of cancer are-improved screen- ing and early diagnosis, sun exposure, smoking, and AIDS. Early diagnosis results in an increase in the number of cancers which otherwise may have gone undetected. For the first two years of this decade, the cancer death rate declined. This is the first time these statistics have declined. normal by the technologist." Dr. Husain also participates on Sinai's Tumor Boards. These are composed of specialists from many fields, including medical oncolo- gists, ontological surgeons, radia- tion oncologists, and a pathologist who specializes in the particular organ system. Dr. Husain, for ex- ample, is a member of the Gyne- cology and Breast Tumor Boards. Together these experts determine the treatment options for a patient and make recommendations to the patient's primary care physician (internist, family practitioner, gynecologist). Every single cancer patient who comes to Sinai benefits from a con- sensus of opinions from a broad spectrum of specialists. The physi- cians all sit down together and be- gin with treatment standards. Then modifications are made to fit the individual patient. The ulti- mate decisions regarding treat- ment are made by the patient. When Dr. Husain talks about treating the patient, he is not just speaking in the abstract. Less than two decades ago, if a patient came in with a tumor, the only way to get a sample of tumor cells from certain organs was to perform a surgical biopsy. In 1978, Dr. Husain introduced a technique known as the fine needle aspira- tion biopsy. With fine needle biopsy, if a mass can be felt or visualized by imag- ing tests, a needle can be insert- ed through the skin and a small sample of the lesion removed. This is enough for a cytopathologist to make a diagnosis and let the physi- cian know if the tumor is cancer- ous or not. Dr. Husain cites the advantages: "It is faster, less expensive, and means less pain and side effects to the patient." As such, it satisfies many of Sinai's goals all to the ben- efit of the patient. HealthNews Briefs continued from page 1 of Plastic Surgery at Sinai, notes many other advances in plastic surgery. Tattoos can be removed by laser, thus leaving the patient scarless. Endoscopic facelifts often require only five small incisions in- stead of the large incision of a tra- ditional facelift. There are new treatments for a facepeel which leave the skin looking younger and last longer than facepeels of the past. For referral to a physician or for more information, call SinaiSource at 1-800-248-3627. HealthNews HealthNews is published as a community service to provide up-to-date information about Sinai Hospital, its physicians and services. Founded in 1953, Sinai Hospital is a 598-bed tertiary care facility on a 36-acre campus centrally located in metropolitan Detroit. Michigan's only Jewish-sponsored hospital, Sinai has numerous satellite locations through- out the area. HealthNews is produced by Sinai Hospital's Corporate Communications/ Marketing Department. For more information, please write Sinai Hospital Corporate Communications/Marketing, 6767 W. Outer Drive, Detroit, Michigan 48235. Copyright 1995 by Sinai Hospital. SPEC IAL ADVERTIS EMENT ii