Big strides made in Sechelt for breast cancer care

Dr. Ramin Kholdebarin is working as the new breast cancer surgeon at Sechelt | Shíshálh Hospital and is already making a difference in breast cancer surgeries on the coast.

Kholdebarin is one of the first surgeons to be able to perform breast cancer surgeries in years in the area. He is a general surgeon who also performs intra-abdominal surgery, such as gallbladder, appendix, hernia and endoscopy. He treats many types of cancer such as colon, breast and skin.

After setting up breast cancer surgery in Sechelt, Kholdebarin acquired a new technology that helps with tumour localization. The technology is called Savi Scout, and consists of a small metallic reflector, implanted in tumours to help surgeons find them during surgery. It is particularly useful for finding small or deep tumors. Surgeons use a hand-held device that emits a tiny radar signal to find the reflector and the problematic lump to be removed.

The reflector replaces what used to be an uncomfortable wire inserted the morning of the surgery. The reflector can be inserted several days earlier or even at the time of biopsy, improving efficiency and patient comfort. Other benefits include:

• decreasing time in the hospital;
• increasing lumpectomies' success rates; and
• potentially reducing the amount of healthy breast tissue removed.

Kholdebarin grew up in Burnaby, B.C. and went to medical school at Queen’s University School of Medicine in Ontario. He performed his residency at the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, and did a fellowship at the Ottawa Civic Hospital.

Once he travelled and practised medicine in other cities, he said he had to come back to B.C.

“I missed the mountains, the ocean and the weather on the West Coast,” he says.

He’s happy to have settled in Sechelt and recommends other physicians consider working in rural areas, outside of the main cities.

“The rural practice is very flexible and not as intense as some of the bigger hospitals in the city. We have three kids, and Sechelt is a great place to raise children. General surgery can be one of the more time-consuming specialties, but I can still get home at a reasonable hour and have the freedom to do a variety of different procedures. Not having to deal with the city's traffic or high cost of living is another bonus.”

Working in rural areas helps patients get care while staying closer to their home and family. Cancer treatment can be a difficult journey and, he says, he’ll do anything he can to improve patients’ experience.

“You feel like you belong in the community, and you know you're making a difference in the lives of people who could potentially be your neighbour. Patients can be emotional after their treatment is done, and they're very appreciative. You really feel like, by the end of it, you're part of their family. It’s very rewarding.”