Screening
Mammograms Help Save Lives
Experts Emphasize
Need For Regular Testing
Many women ignore recommendations
to undergo regular mammograms, and as a result miss out on the lifesaving
benefits of the screening exam, according to a study reported in Cancer,
a journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS).
The study also found that,
among women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, those who had prompt
annual mammograms had a lower risk of death, about 12 percent, compared
to those who received mammograms every two years (about 16 percent)
or every five years (25 percent).
Only one in 20 women consistently
follow the recommendation for annual mammograms for women age 40 and
older, said lead author Dr. James Michaelson, assistant professor
of pathology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
"There have been other
studies over the past few years that have told us screening is not
used to its fullest advantage," Dr. Michaelson says. "But this is
probably the most detailed, largest study."
Breast cancer is the most
commonly diagnosed cancer in US women, according to the ACS,
with an estimated 275,380 new cases expected in 2004 and about 40,580
deaths expected.
Health
Consequences Examined
Dr. Michaelson and his
colleagues reviewed data from more than 72,000 women who received
screening mammograms at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Avon
Comprehensive Breast Center from 1985 to 2002.
They analyzed information
within subgroups of women based on race, age, prior history of breast
cancer, and their socioeconomic status.
Then they used a computer
simulation model of breast cancer to estimate the health consequences
of various screening intervals.
In all, only 6 percent
of women who got a mammogram in 1992 received all annual mammograms
that were available to them over the next 10 years.
The average number
of mammograms received during the 10-year period was about five, or
half the number recommended by the ACS.
The ACS
and many other organizations recommend annual mammograms for women
at age 40.
"But as a group, they only
used one of two mammograms they could have taken advantage of," Dr.
Michaelson says.
Women from lower economic
status got fewer mammograms than women who were more affluent. Hispanic,
African American, and Asian women got fewer mammograms than did women
of other races.
Tie
a String Around Your Finger
While fear of discomfort
or fear of a cancer diagnosis may play a role in women not getting
regular mammograms, "my own hunch is we simply don't do a very good
job of reminding them," Dr. Michaelson says.
"Dentists do a very good
job of reminding their patients," he comments. "I'm very interested
in developing automatic systems to send computer-generated reminders
to people to help them remember they have appointments."
The study findings come
as no surprise to Dr. Gail Lebovic, at the University of Southern
California's Lee Breast Center.
"I think it's really an
important study and points out clearly the importance of mammography,"
she says.
"It basically confirms
what we have known for a long time and what the American Cancer
Society has been trying to tell women for years - that screening
mammography works in terms of detecting cancer early and reducing
deaths."
Fear of discomfort is a
barrier to screening, Dr. Lebovic believes.
To counteract that, she
developed the Woman's Touch MammoPad, a disposable cushion placed
on the mammography equipment before a woman has the test, cushioning
the breast during compression.
Dr. Lebovic suggests
simple ways woman can remember each year.
"Do it on your birthday,
or around your birthday," she says. "Or do it the first of the year,"
she says. The date itself does not matter, but keeping it the
same time each year will make it more difficult to forget.
Always consult your physician
for more information.
|
August 2004
Screening
Mammograms Help Save Lives
Health
Consequences Examined
Tie
a String Around Your Finger
What
Is a Mammogram?
Online
Resources
Other
Resources:
St.
John's Mercy Cancer Services
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a St. John's Mercy Physician
Breast
Health Information
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Health Information
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John's Mercy Classes and Programs
What
Is a Mammogram?
A mammogram is an x-ray
examination of the breast. It is used to detect and diagnose breast
disease in women who either have breast problems such as a lump, pain,
or nipple discharge, as well as for women who have no breast complaints.
The procedure allows detection
of breast cancers, benign tumors, and cysts before they can be detected
by palpation (touch).
Mammography cannot prove
that an abnormal area is cancer, but if it raises a significant suspicion
of cancer, tissue will be removed for a biopsy.
Tissue may be removed by
needle or open surgical biopsy and examined under a microscope to
determine if it is cancer.
Mammography has been used
for about 30 years, and in the past 15 years technical advancements
have greatly improved both the technique and results.
Today, dedicated equipment,
used only for breast x-rays, produces studies that are high in quality
but low in radiation dose. Radiation risks are considered to be negligible.
The recent development
of digital mammography technology shows promise for improved breast
imaging. Digital mammography provides electronic images of the breasts
that can be enhanced by computer technology, stored on computers,
and even transmitted electronically in situations where remote access
to the mammogram is required.
The National Cancer
Institute describes the following:
screening mammogram
A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast used to detect breast
changes in women who have no signs of breast cancer. It usually involves
two x-rays of each breast. Using a mammogram, it is possible to detect
a tumor that cannot be felt.
diagnostic mammogram
A diagnostic mammogram is an x-ray of the breast used to diagnose
unusual breast changes, such as a lump, pain, nipple thickening or
discharge, or a change in breast size or shape.
A diagnostic mammogram
is also used to evaluate abnormalities detected on a screening mammogram.
It is a basic medical tool and is appropriate in the workup of breast
changes, regardless of a woman's age.
Always consult your physician
for more information.
Online
Resources
American
Cancer Society
American
Society for Clinical Oncology
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National
Cancer Institute
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Women's Health Information Center
Susan
G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
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