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
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
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
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 |
