Newswise — ORLANDO, FL. (November 15, 2013) – MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando has received a prestigious national accreditation for its treatment of breast disease. The Breast Care Center has been granted a three-year/full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

The NAPBC accreditation is given to cancer centers that exemplify the highest level in quality care to treat breast disease and that have undergone a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. During the survey process, MD Anderson - Orlando demonstrated compliance with standards established by the NAPBC for treating women who are diagnosed with the full spectrum of breast disease. The standards include proficiency in the areas of: • center leadership;• clinical management;• research; • community outreach;• professional education; • quality improvement.

MD Anderson – Orlando received an additional honor in that all items that were submitted for the initial survey will now be included in the NAPBC Best Practice Repository. “This accreditation shines a national spotlight on the incredible work of our comprehensive breast care team that delivers the highest quality, personalized care to help fight breast disease,” said Terry Mamounas, MD, Medical Director, Comprehensive Breast Care Program. “We have demonstrated a firm commitment to offering our patients every possible advantage in their fight against breast disease by ensuring they will have access to comprehensive care, a multidisciplinary team approach, and information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options while receiving quality care close to home.” Breast disease includes cancerous, non-cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions of the breast, such as cysts, lumps, fibrocystic breast changes, benign and malignant tumors. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the US. When diagnosed early, breast cancer has a more than 90% cure rate. More than 228,000 Americans, of those more than 15,000 Floridians, will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.

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MD Anderson Cancer Center OrlandoMD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, part of Orlando Health, is affiliated with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked MD Anderson Cancer Center as the top cancer treatment center in the U.S. and has ranked it as one of the top two cancer centers for the past 13 years. Orlando Health, a 1,882-bed community-owned, Florida not-for-profit organization established in 1918, annually serves nearly 2 million Central Florida residents and more than 4,500 international patients. More information is available at www.mdacco.com.