3 Facts about Breast Cancer Screening

It’s the Fall and you know what that means – Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here are 3 facts about Breast Cancer every woman needs to know.

# 1 Did you know that for every 1,000 women who have a screening mammogram that:

· 100 women will return for an additional mammogram or ultrasound.

· 61 women will find out that there is nothing wrong. Whew!

· 20 women will find that what was seen is likely NOT to be cancer and will be advised to return in 6 months.

· 19 women will have a minimally invasive needle biopsy.

· Of the 5 women, diagnosed with breast cancer, most will be caught early with a 95% cure rate.

Let’s break it down: The vast majority of women who are screened will have reassuring results, with very few needing further imaging or testing.

Make your Pinky Promise to have your mammogram and you just might win an Apple Watch. Click here for more details.

#2 Women with Increased Breast Density may need additional screening.

When breast tissue is dense, it appears white on a mammogram. Unfortunately, breast cancer also appears white, so in a traditional mammogram, trying to find a breast cancer can be like trying to find a snowflake in a snowstorm.

# 3 There are new and innovative ways to diagnose breast cancer.

• Conventional Mammography – We all know that mammography is still the best and first step in screening for breast cancer. Early detection means finding cancers early, which means higher cure rates. What surprises many women is that if something looks suspicious on a mammogram, we have more imaging options than ever before.

• 3-D Mammography -Known as Tomosynthesis, this new screening technology, can help radiologists look at breast tissue via multiple thin layers without shadowing and distortions. This helps find suspicious areas that may be overlooked from conventional mammography.

• Whole Breast Ultrasound - An advanced screening tool that allows radiologiststo look differently through dense breast tissue to screen for small breast cancers that might be obscured in a mammogram.

I’ve had this procedure myself. It is painless, takes less than 10 minutes and has been a beneficial screening tool at El Camino Hospital for women with dense breast tissue.

• Breast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – This diagnostic screening option is particularly helpful for women with a history of breast cancer, or those who have tested positive for the BRCA genetic mutations. With Breast MRI, women lie on their stomachs. They may need an IV to have a contrast medium injected for more specific and detailed imaging.

• The Latest includes New Breast Imaging Options in development. Stay tuned for more information on PET scans and Gamma Molecular Imaging. In addition, clinical trials are underway that utilize wearable devices that track cell changes within the breast, detecting cancer at its earliest stage.

Disclosure: I’m working with El Camino Hospital to help them get the word out about mammograms, breast cancer screening and the latest innovations for women’s health. Do make your Pinky Promise to have your mammogram.