Click the video below for the full interview with Dr. Manpreet Kohli
Namashkar and welcome to EBC Radio 1170 AM, RP Choice, and I’m your host Alka. I invite all my lovely listeners to join us for a very special health education series which is brought to you by RWJ Barnabas Health. We bring you conversations with leading doctors and health experts. Together we’ll explore simple tips, important guidance, and the latest updates to keep you and your family very healthy.
So today our topic is breast cancer in the health education series. The doctor to speak on this topic is going to be Dr. Manpreet Kohli. Dr. Manpreet Kohli is the director of Breast Surgery for Monmouth Medical Centre and Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health Hospital. Dr. Kohli is a Cancer Liaison Physician for the Commission on Cancer, recognized locally and nationally for her work in the field of breast cancer.
She is an early adopter of new technology and created the region’s first lymphedema prevention program utilizing bioimpedance spectroscopy and MacTrace, and helped launch the state’s first Paxman Scalp Cooling program to help prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Dr. Kohli was the first in New Jersey to become certified in Hidden Scar breast surgery. In 2015, she was named American Cancer Society’s Healthcare Professional of the Year.
In 2019 and 2021, she created the nonprofit organization Eye Pink Eye Can to help provide equality in breast cancer care, regardless of financial status. This has helped remove barriers to care for many women in Monmouth County after a breast cancer diagnosis. She strives to provide the highest level of comprehensive and compassionate care to set patients up for a long and successful survivorship.
Dr. Kohli received a medical degree from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University in India. She completed her surgery residency program at Monmouth Medical Centre and completed her Breast Surgical Oncology fellowship at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt and Beth Israel Centre in New York. She’s also a member of the American College of Surgeons.
So with that, let’s welcome Dr. Kohli on ABC Radio.
Dr. Kohli: I’m great. Thank you so much for having me and for such a wonderful introduction.
Alka: Well, I’m so honoured to have you back again on the radio and it is a privilege and honor to be speaking to you today here.
Dr. Kohli: Oh, well, it’s a wonderful time to come back, especially with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Alka: Yes, doctor, as you know, the topic is breast cancer. So let us talk a little bit about that, why it is so important for women to understand the importance of screening for breast cancer.
Dr. Kohli: Well, it’s hugely important to be aware of the risk of breast cancer that all women have. And when somebody waits to feel a lump, they’re often finding this lump when it’s a higher stage. If a patient is going for a mammogram when they don’t have any lumps or anything that they can feel, sometimes we find things before you can feel it. And if we are, we will be finding breast cancer at an early, early stage when it’s less aggressive with fewer treatments. Potentially sometimes we find things even before there is cancer and have an opportunity to prevent cancer from developing. So none of that is possible without going for screening imaging. That’s so important.
Alka: So, at what age should women start getting a regular mammogram and how often should they get screened?
Dr. Kohli: Certainly, all women should at the very least have a mammogram at age 40, and they should continue this once a year. When they stop is really a matter of when will we stop wanting to do something with the results of that imaging study. As long as a patient is healthy, can tolerate a mammogram, and tolerate any treatments I might be able to offer, which tend to not be so aggressive, then we continue to screen. What is really important though is sometimes there are women that benefit from starting before age 40. And those are patients who might have had a family history of breast cancer or some other risk factors that make them at a higher risk than the average person. If that’s the case, we want to start screening earlier than age 40, and using maybe some additional tools, not just mammogram, but maybe MRI.
Alka: So somebody who has a family history, they should be really seeking to go for the screening earlier, right?
Dr. Kohli: Definitely. Yeah, so family history is a really important thing to keep track of. But what I will say, most people are very surprised to hear that most breast cancers happen in people that have no family history. And 85% of breast cancer happen in people that have no history in their family of breast cancer. So it often, even though it is very important, sometimes we have a false sense of security if we don’t have any family members that have had it. And that’s sometimes why I see women not go for screening imaging, because they think that they’re not going to get it because no one else in their family has.
Alka: Hmm, yeah, that’s something they should not be following.
Dr. Kohli: Of course, if you have a history, it is more important to be more alert and talk to the physician. And if they recommend you go for early screening, you should. But if you’re not having history as doctors say, I think still we all should go after age 40 for every year screening.
Alka: Right, exactly. Okay, so doctor, now what are different treatment options for someone recently diagnosed with breast cancer?
Dr. Kohli: Treatment options are improving every single day, and the care of breast cancer is changing at such a pace that we really have to be very aware of the latest research updates. And it’s amazing to see how the process has improved. So it’s a much less aggressive course for patients who are treated for breast cancer. We’re really aiming specifically at the cancer and trying our best not to have as much collateral damage to the individual, so really targeting the cancer with few side effects. So we have so many different options that we really tailor the plan based on the person right in front of us and their specific type of cancer.
Alka: As you said, the care, like, you know, you have done the study and research with chemotherapy, the hair loss, and scalp cooling.
Dr. Kohli: Yes, so I think it’s really a scary thing when people hear the word cancer, they immediately envision themselves as very sick, very ill without hair. And the truth is many breast cancers don’t need chemotherapy. And if somebody is in need of chemotherapy, which in that case is really considered life-saving treatment, it’s very sad to see one in 12 women decline chemotherapy because they’re worried about hair loss. So the way that we address that is with scalp cooling. And that does a great job of preventing chemotherapy from having as much of an effect on the hair follicles. And so it preserves identity. You can still get excellent treatment and still look like yourself without people knowing if you’re getting chemotherapy and saving your hair. And chemotherapies are not as aggressive as they once were. Some regimens don’t have hair loss. And we even have some really new groundbreaking options where we’re doing immunotherapy using the body’s immune system, working on vaccines for breast cancer. It’s really unbelievable to see what is on the horizon for breast cancer care. So science and technology is really moving so fast, which is helping the patients.
Alka: Oh, absolutely. So doctor, can you let me tell again, my friends who have just joined EBC Radio, we are in talks with Dr. Manpreet Kohli and our topic today is breast cancer. So please, listen carefully. They are very, very good information doctors providing us.
Dr. Kohli: Oh, absolutely.
Alka: So, doctor, can you talk about the prevalence of breast cancer in the South Asian community and provide any advice to this population?
Dr. Kohli: Absolutely. As someone of Indian heritage myself, I’ve really seen how there are misconceptions. Culturally, this isn’t something that was always so readily shared. People are very private sometimes and don’t want to burden other people with their health problems. Sometimes we aren’t aware if there is a history of breast cancer in the family or it was once very taboo. But the truth is breast cancer affects all ethnicities, and in Indian women, it is the most common type of cancer. Though it was previously cervical cancer, now breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Indian women.
What’s unfortunate is because we don’t have as high a level of awareness, Indian women get diagnosed at a later stage with more advanced cases. Over 70% of Indian breast cancer cases are diagnosed at a more advanced stage, which can reduce the survival rate. So it’s important to go for screening imaging to give us the best chance of early detection. If caught very early, breast cancer has a very high 99 to 100% survival rate.
We also want to make sure we’re eating healthy. Obesity is a risk factor, having a poor diet, really keeping ideal body mass index—these are very helpful. Being active is also important. These are things that every doctor will say are beneficial, but especially in breast cancer care, it can really help reduce risk if you’re taking care of yourself. Lifestyle is extremely important for every individual.
Alka: Yeah, so now doctor, the last question I would ask you is why should listeners seek cancer care at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centre like Rutgers Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health?
Dr. Kohli: NCI-designated cancer centers are not common. It takes a lot to establish that distinction. This means that this is a cancer center that has access to the latest clinical trials. Sometimes people think of clinical trials as experimental, but it’s not experimental on the individual. It gives access to the latest and greatest treatments before anyone else has them more widely adopted elsewhere, proving that there are better options than previous ways we were treating cancer.
It’s really important to remember that not just awareness to go for imaging matters, but if you are diagnosed, you want access to the latest and greatest care. This is how you get through it with minimal side effects and the longest long-term outcomes with a good prognosis.
You also want to ensure your breast imagers only do breast imaging, and your surgeons are specialty-trained in surgical oncology of the breast. These things matter. Thankfully, we have access to multiple locations throughout New Jersey, with a centralized phone number to connect patients to physicians in their area affiliated with our NCI-designated cancer center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson.
Alka: Wow, that is really amazing because, as a patient, you don’t need to run around in different places. It’s all in one place.
Dr. Kohli: That’s right. All you have to do is call and show up, and the rest we take care of. Many decades ago, people had to travel far to New York City or Philadelphia, but now that level of care is close to home. You don’t have the barriers of transportation issues, traffic, or stress from missing an appointment.
Alka: Yeah, we really want to make it as easy as possible because we know it can be difficult and stressful. Now they have a beautiful new hospital in New Brunswick, the Morrison Cheryl.
Dr. Kohli: Hell yeah, it’s beautiful. We also have another new cancer center, the Vogel, being developed in Monmouth County on the previous Fort Monmouth site, aiming for the end of 2026. You can see it being constructed if you drive down the Parkway—very nice.
Alka: So Robert Johnson is really bringing the best treatment for cancer and all other kinds of disease. People should consider contacting them to see what the best treatment they can get is.
Dr. Kohli: Exactly.
Alka: So doctor, before I let you go, what is the one message you would like to leave for listeners about breast cancer awareness and prevention?
Dr. Kohli: Breast cancer isn’t as scary as it once was. Fear has held women back because they’re scared of being diagnosed. Care has improved so much that it is certainly inconvenient, but in most cases, if caught early, it is extremely treatable with very few long-term side effects and a great prognosis. Rather than letting fear stop you from getting the imaging you need, go and get a mammogram, get reassurance that you’re in the clear, and if you’re not, at least you’ve caught it as early as possible, and we can take care of the rest.
Alka: Very, very good message for listeners. Screening and catching the cancer at the earliest is key.
Dr. Kohli: Absolutely.
Alka: Thank you, Dr. Manpreet Kohli, for sharing such valuable insights with our listeners today. We truly appreciate your time and commitment to spreading awareness. Friends, remember, your health is your wealth. Go for screening—hopefully there won’t be any cancer. If it is there, it is caught early, and there are great doctors like Dr. Kohli to treat you.
Dr. Kohli: Thank you so much for having me.
