Baptist Breast Health Center’s Larkin Carter, MD, Says Consistency is Key

When Larkin Carter, MD, director of imaging for the Baptist Breast Health Center, gives talks comparing a triathlon to a breast center, he often sees quizzical looks on the faces of women in the audience.

“They’ll come up to me later and say something like, ‘so let me get this straight,’” said Carter, an Emory-trained radiologist, with a laugh. “’You wake up before 5 o’clock every day to work out, then do it again after work throughout the Mississippi hot summer, all so you can race a few times a year and call yourself an Ironman? How does that have anything to do with a breast center?’”

His standard answer: Even though he shares the same real estate with competitors on race day, he’s racing against the clock, not other people.

“And so it is in this fight against breast cancer, which impacts the lives of all women in one way or another,” he explained. “One in eight women will be forced to ‘share real estate’ with this disease, but the actual race is against the clock. Ultimate success in the fight against breast cancer relies heavily on early detection.”

When asked the secret to gaining speed on the bike during a triathlon, Carter responds: “It’s a matter of consistent training day in and day out, year after year. And then save those precious seconds by buying all the technology you can, such as fast wheels, tires, an aerodynamic helmet and the works.”

Similarly, he tells them, Baptist Breast Health Center has all digital mammography and stereotactic biopsy, state-of the art ultrasound equipment, and an active MRI breast imaging practice.

“Consistency is the most important piece of the puzzle whether winning an Ironman competition or beating breast cancer,” said Carter. “To make the best use of our technology and personnel, to achieve the all important early detection, we must have patients who consistently get their mammograms in a timely manner. The Center for Breast Health at Baptist is uniquely situated to impact this participation in several positive ways.”

For example, consider logistics, said Carter, referring to the difference it can make on how an athlete perceives the stresses of race day.

“One of my favorite races is the Heart O’ Dixie in mid-July, where you start in Louisville, ride your bike 27 miles to Philadelphia, and then run seven miles to the Neshoba County Fairgrounds,” he said. “After the race, you say to yourself ... hmmm, now how am I going to get back to Louisville and pick up all the stuff I've left along the way? For someone new to the sport, I recommend trying a race that starts and ends all in the same place. What a novel idea! Has anyone actually considered a similar concept for women with a clinical breast issue?”

The standard “set-up” for women who need attention on breast health issues has presented a logistical challenge, frequently involving trips to various medical offices, sometimes on different sides of town.

“One of our goals is to make a seamless experience for our patients, where they park the car once and move through the system with as little stress as possible,” he said. “We made a huge step in that direction with the opening of The Center for Breast Health, where a woman can see her primary care doctor, get all her imaging done and see her surgeon right across the hall at Baptist for Women. The center is also designed for quick and efficient ‘in and out’ service for our screening patients, many of which can take advantage of this option on their lunch break.”

Also, breast imaging has traditionally been done in hospitals and radiology departments, where women are in a waiting room with men, children, and sometimes sick patients.

“You might say it's been a contact sport,” he noted. “We recognize that women would much rather come to a place with soft surfaces, appealing decor, and especially designed just for them without going down halls in a gown and running into your husband’s business associate. At The Center for Breast Health, it’s a very private and peaceful environment with women-only gowned areas. Occasionally, men need breast imaging but they won’t have access to the ‘inner sanctum.’”

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