Comprehensive Cancer Celebrates National Mammography Day
Each year, the third Friday of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of mammograms. National Mammography Day, which was first introduced in 1993, is recognized by Comprehensive Cancer Centers as an opportunity to encourage women to put their health first and to schedule an appointment to get their annual mammogram.
An important tool in treatment is found in early detection. The medical oncology and breast surgery team at Comprehensive Cancer Centers recommends that women get regular mammograms that following guidelines provided by the American Cancer Society:
- Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms (x-rays of the breast) if they wish to do so.
- Women age 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
- Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or can continue yearly screening.
- Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live 10 more years or longer.
- All women should be familiar with the known benefits, limitations, and potential harms linked to breast cancer screening.
What is a Mammogram?
The following offers insights into what mammograms are and what benefits they offer patients – and physicians – by adhering to regular schedules for testing:
Quite simply, a mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast.
Mammograms can be used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. This type of mammogram is called a screening mammogram. Screening mammograms usually involve two or more x-ray pictures, or images, of each breast. The x-ray images often make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt. Screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.
Mammograms can also be used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found. This type of mammogram is called a diagnostic mammogram. Besides a lump, signs of breast cancer can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size or shape; however, these signs may also be signs of benign conditions. A diagnostic mammogram can also be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram or to view breast tissue when it is difficult to obtain a screening mammogram because of special circumstances, such as the presence of breast implants.
Mammography is a specific type of breast imaging that uses low-dose x-rays to detect cancer early – before women experience symptoms – when it is most treatable.
Tell your family doctor about any breast symptoms or problems, prior surgeries, hormone use, whether you have a family or personal history of breast cancer, and if there’s a possibility you are pregnant. Should you be referred to Comprehensive Cancer Centers for additional screenings, obtain copies of your prior mammograms and make them available to your radiologist on the day of your exam.
To best prepare for your mammogram, leave jewelry at home and wear loose, comfortable clothing. You may be asked to wear a gown. Don’t wear deodorant, talcum powder or lotion under your arms or on your breasts as these may appear on the mammogram and interfere with correct diagnosis.
Should you have further questions about mammograms, consult with your physician or a Comprehensive Cancer Centers oncologist.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Comprehensive Cancer Centers provides a variety of treatment options including: chemotherapy, radiation therapy, breast surgery and clinical research for the treatment of breast cancer. For a complete list of clinical research studies currently being conducted at comprehensive, please click here. To schedule an appointment with the team at Comprehensive, please call 702-952-3350.
The content is this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.