Mother’s diagnosis inspired surgeon’s battle against cancer

Seeing his own mother fight breast cancer and survive helped Dr. Kamran Kamali choose breast surgery as a specialty, and it has guided his nearly 25 years of practice as a general surgeon, including the last 20 in Las Cruces.

After learning of her diagnosis in the late 1990s, “My mother called me crying,” Kamali said. “I was devastated.” He remembers that feeling every time he treats a patient who has breast cancer or thinks she might have it – or he, since up to 1 percent of breast cancer patients are men.

Because “this is a disease that affected my own mom,” Kamali said, “I know what a breast cancer patient goes through. I understand what it takes to care for another human being.”

Because his mother is a long-time breast cancer survivor, optimism is integral to Kamali’s medical practice.

“What I try to communicate is a message of hope. You have to be prepared for battle, spiritually, physically and emotionally. Otherwise, cancer has beaten you already,” he said. “Even women with stage 4 breast cancer still have a life to live, and every day is a new day to achieve your goals.”

But ultimately, he continued, “It’s not me, it’s about the patient. We have to set them up for success.”

For breast cancer patients everywhere, Kamali said, “Not knowing is the worst thing.”

For most women, a routine mammogram, as an initial diagnostic exam, will detect nothing abnormal;  but if a lump or other abnormality is detected, a biopsy to remove tissue for examination under a microscope, is necessary. About one in eight women will eventually be diagnosed with breast cancer.

And while Kamali has always had “an old-school way of dealing with it” – quickly scheduling a visit with his patients to give them their test results in person – “more and more women are saying, ‘Call me right away,’” he said.

If the test results show cancer, the patient will work with a multidisciplinary team including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and surgeons, Kamali said. Surgical treatment options include a lumpectomy, a single or double mastectomy and a newer technology, cryoablation, which freezes the breast tumor.

Kamali performed the first cryoablation in New Mexico in 2019 and said the procedure was successful for the patient, who was in her mid-80s, had low-grade stage 1 breast cancer and refused surgery. Cryoablation is less invasive and less expensive than surgery, he said, and a painless option for some patients with small, early-stage breast tumors. 

“Unfortunately, Medicare is not currently covering this procedure,” Kamali said.

The procedure is evidence of ongoing breast cancer research and evolving treatments that merit optimism, he said.

Awareness of the risks of breast cancer, early detection and quick access to treatment are critical, he said. But the biggest challenge to better outcomes for breast cancer patients in this area is equity: providing quality care for the poor and underserved population in Las Cruces and surrounding communities.

“Lives are being saved because of annual, routine mammograms,” Kamali said, which he recommended for all women over age 40 and perhaps for younger women as well.

Ultrasounds and expensive MRIs are “increasing the sensitivity of picking up cancer,” Kamali said, and can be especially important for women who have dense breasts and/or a family history of breast cancer. It is also important to remember that most breast cancers are painless, he said.

In addition to his medical practice, Kamali is an associate professor of surgery at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

“Dr. Kamran Kamali was one of the first physicians I had the honor of recruiting to Las Cruces when opening MountainView (Regional Medical Center) in 2002,” said Burrell president and CEO John Hummer. “When developing and opening the medical school, I did not hesitate to recommend Kamran to teach our medical students. He is a talented educator and paying it forward for the future benefit of our community.“

Kamali earned his medical degree from George Washington University and practiced medicine in North Carolina before coming to Las Cruces.

“I don’t want to be the busiest. That’s not my goal,” Kamali said. “I want to be the best. I am committed to my patients and working within a team of practitioners to provide the best care, and I want to deliver the latest technology in managing breast problems.”