Breast Cancer Awareness All Month

By Colleen Sholar, DO

If you are a woman 40-75 who has not had breast cancer screening in the past 2 years what are you waiting for? We know there are many things in life we put off, but your healthcare providers want you to prioritize screenings because early interventions are often more effective and better tolerated than treatments required once you have a more advanced problem. CVH has a new 3D mammogram mobile to help you screen for breast cancer close to home and at your convenience so you can check this off your “to-do” list. According to the American Cancer Society death rates due to breast cancer have declined 44% for US women since 1989 (If you feel 1989 wasn’t that long ago you are probably due for a mammogram and colonoscopy!). This is felt to be due to a combination of early detection as well as better treatments. Do your part in early detection by getting screened.

Why a 3D mammogram? This is the newest mammogram technology that allows radiologist to examine breast tissue in 1mm slices looking for those small lesions and microcalcifications that are the earliest marker of breast cancer and therefore reduces the risk of being called back for repeat imaging by 15-30%. Because of the closer and clearer views it is easier to identify concerns in those areas of denser tissue which are more common in younger women.

How do you get scheduled? Call the clinic and tell them you are ready to get your mammogram. Once the radiology department gets the order they will reach out for your old mammogram images. Once you have a baseline mammogram radiologists continue to compare pictures from study to study looking for changes in your breasts which may be suspicious, so this may take a few days or weeks to get the imaging depending on how much detective work has to go into the process, but it’s worth the reassurance to compare the studies.

The test. Yes, a mammogram is an Xray study. Yes, the breast is positioned on a plate The 3D mammogram obtains images at different angles looking for concerning areas. When I talk to women many of them report delaying or avoiding mammograms due to the painful nature of this test but surveying people after the test very few women report the test as painful and were surprised by how quick and easy the mammogram was for them. So I recommend you go into it with an open mind.

Ladies 40-75y/o- when was your last mammogram?