Take Control of Your Health: Breast Cancer Screenings
Courtesy The Medical Center of Aurora, East Denver LIVING WELL Magazine
Screening for breast cancer is a team effort. You, your healthcare provider and your mammography center staff all play an important role in finding breast cancers early. Early detection facilitates early treatment and optimum health outcomes. Your healthcare team is there to provide you with support and guidance but will look to you to take charge of your health and stay on top of your screenings.
The Key to Early Detection
Mammography and breast examination form the core of the screening. Effective early detection by mammography requires careful positioning by the technician taking your mammogram, well-maintained equipment and a good reading by an experienced radiologist. Not all cancers are seen by mammography, however, so your vigilance, and that of your healthcare provider, in detecting lumps can also help identify cancers early.
To increase the early detection of breast cancer, The American Cancer Society makes the following recommendations for women and their healthcare providers:
- Women age 40 and over should have a screening mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.
- Women should receive clinical breast exams (CBE). A woman’s primary care provider should do a CBE every two to three years from ages 20-40 and then yearly starting at age 40. A CBE is a complement to a screening mammogram. This is an opportunity for women and their primary care provider to discuss any breast changes, the need for early detection testing and risk factors in their history that might have an impact on health screening decisions.
- Learn to do a breast self examination (BSE). The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. Many women perform a monthly BSE and find the exam to be helpful. By doing a BSE regularly, women become familiar with how their breasts normally feel and may be able to more easily detect any change. Any lumps or changes that are noted during a BSE should be reported immediately to the primary care provider.
- Women who have a greater risk of breast cancer due to a strong family history or another factor need to consult with their providers to determine whether they should start mammography screening earlier or should have additional screening with MRI or ultrasound.
Women can be assured that most often the news they will receive about their mammogram is good news! Out of 1,000 patients, 100 will be called back for further views in order to get a more complete picture of their breast health. Of those 100 patients that are called back, 15 will require a biopsy to rule out cancer. Of those 15 patients, there will be three that will have a diagnosis of breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Care Center at The Medical Center of Aurora
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, a comprehensive cancer center is a beneficial resource and support system. The Breast Cancer Care Center at The Medical Center of Aurora provides extensive tools to help patients through their diagnosis and treatment. The nurse coordinator is a patient’s first point of contact. She helps patients navigate information and guides them through their treatment experience. The Breast Cancer Care Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. At a patient’s first appointment, they meet with a team of specialists (including a medical oncologist and a general surgeon) to discuss the diagnosis and come up with an individualized care plan that best fits the patient’s needs.
Furthermore, The Breast Cancer Care Center is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. Accreditation by the NAPBC is only given to those centers that have committed to providing the highest level of quality breast care and undergo an in-depth evaluation process and review of their performance.
As a NAPBC-accredited center, The Breast Cancer Care Center offers patients access to:
- Comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services
- A multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
- Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
- Quality breast care close to home
While no one knows the exact causes of breast cancer, we can give ourselves the gift of health by making use of our healthcare team to help find and treat cancers as early as possible.
For more information, please visit auroramed.com.
