As Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2016 draws to a close, Advanced Radiology would like to remind everyone, specifically women age 40 and above, who did not have their mammogram this past month of the importance of screening mammography. Approximately 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer and 8 out of 9 of those diagnosed have no family history of breast cancer. In addition, early detection continues to provide a five-year survival rate of almost 100%.
Significant research has been done and continues to be done on the demographics, benefits, costs, and value of periodic screening. As screening technology has improved, we have witnessed a corresponding drop in the need for additional diagnostic mammography as well. Ongoing research, combined with advances in imaging technology, almost certainly mean that the role of screening mammography in women’s overall health will evolve over the next generation. A recent news release from the American College of Radiology (ACR), ACR and SBI Continue to Recommend Regular Mammography Starting at Age 40, outlines the organization’s reasons for continuing its recommendation that all women age 40 and above should receive an annual screening mammogram, the most straightforward of which is the “35% reduction in breast cancer deaths and thousands of lives saved each year by mammography screening.”
Advanced Radiology supports the ACR recommendation and believes that detection and survival rates will continue to improve with advances in imaging technology and treatment.
The women’s imaging specialists of Advanced Radiology have also announced an important update to our mammography protocol for breast cancer survivors. As of October, 2016, we are now recommending that patients who have been treated for breast cancer with breast conservation obtain a diagnostic mammogram for only the initial five years after their treatment. After five years, patients can return to screening mammography.
We attribute this change largely to improvements in 3D mammography image quality. Advanced Radiology uses Hologic’s 3D tomosynthesis with C-View image technology-the first to be approved by the FDA. We believe this system delivers a superior combination of 2D and 3D images, reduces overall radiation exposure, results in a 40% increase in detection of invasive cancers and 15% reduction in recalls, and provides our patients and their physicians with maximum confidence and peace of mind.
It is important to note that the 3D tomosynthesis exam is also covered, usually without a co-pay, by most insurance plans. This is an opportunity for physicians and patients to obtain the most technologically advanced breast evaluation at the lowest radiation dose presently available.
We hope to spark continuing discussion between women and their physicians about mammography and its potential to deliver the life-saving care they both desire and deserve. If you have any questions, I invite you to contact me or any one of our breast imaging specialists at 203.452.6266.
Thank you,
Pamela Reeser, MD
Advanced Radiology