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Work at Home Moms > Breast Cancer Awareness Month
> Breast Cancer Early Detection
Breast Cancer Early Detection
When breast cancer is
detected early and treated promptly, suffering and ultimately the loss
of life can be significantly reduced. Women are encouraged to ask
their doctors and other health care providers about mammography
screening. Mammography (and x-ray picture of the breast) is the single
most effective method to detect breast changes that may be cancer,
long before physical symptoms can be seen or felt. For early stage
breast cancer, there are more treatment options, treatment can be less
disfiguring and less toxic and survival is improved.
As women age, their risk of
breast cancer increases. For most women, high-quality mammography
screening should begin at age 40. As risk factors vary in everyone,
each woman and her doctor should discuss the plan that's right for
her. Most organizations recommend screening every one to two years,
some recommend it take place every year. Screening should continue
throughout a woman's lifetime.
In addition to the use of
mammography, health care providers should also examine a woman's
breasts, called clinical breast examination (CBE), as part of routine
health care to search for any abnormalities that may be missed by
mammography.
Breast Self Examination (BSE) may alert a women to any changes in
her breasts, but it is not a substitute for mammography screening. The
value of BSE is that it helps a woman become familiar with how her
breasts normally feel and to notice any changes.
Is Mammography Reliable?
In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed the Mammography Quality
Standards Act to ensure that mammography performed at more than 10,000
facilities throughout the country is of high quality and reliable. To
lawfully perform mammography, each facility must prominently display a
certificate issue by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This
certificate serves as evidence that the facility meets quality
standards. You can order the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality's booklet, Things to Know about Quality Mammograms, at
no charge, in English or Spanish, by calling (800) 358-9295.
Information for health care professionals is also available.
National Mammography Day
- USA
The third Friday in October each year is National Mammography Day,
first proclaimed by U.S. President Clinton in 1993. Each year on this
day, or this day, or throughout the month, American College of
Radiology (ACR) Radiologists at accredited facilities provide
discounted or free screening mammograms.
For more information, please
contact Pam Wilcox, Assistant Executive Director, ACR at (800)
227-5463 (USA only).
Side note: Check our
Resources Pages for links to information about Mammography in
your country.
What Should Women Expect
When the Have a Mammography
A woman who still menstruates should schedule the mammogram for
one week after her menstrual period beings, when the breasts will be
the least tender. Women are asked to avoid using deodorant and lotions
on the day of the mammogram and should wear two-piece clothing to make
undressing more convenient.
A specially trained
radiologic technologist will perform the mammogram. The woman will be
asked to undress from the waist up only and stand next to the x-ray
machine. Two flat surfaces will compress one breast first, then the
other for a few seconds. Compression is necessary to produce the best
pictures using the lowest amount of radiation possible.
Is Mammography Screening
the Only Way to Detect Breast Cancer?
Mammography screening remains the best available method to detect
breast cancer early. However, no medical test is always 100 percent
accurate and mammography is no exception. Research is under way to
improve the technology to lead to better accuracy and to create new
technologies.
For more information about
mammography screening, please refer to the American Cancer Society
website at
www.cancer.org
Side note: Check our
Resources Pages for links to information about Mammography in
your country.
Information on this page has been, in
large part, reproduced, with permission, from
NBCAM (supported by
an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca Healthcare
Foundation).
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