Breast cancer and other medical illnesses remain a risk for women -- even in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, because of concerns about the virus, many women have postponed their annual screening mammograms, increasing their risk of undetected cancer.
Northwest Health is encouraging women who may have delayed their mammograms to schedule the screening now because, when breast cancer is detected early, life-saving treatment can begin right away.
When screenings are delayed, diagnosis is delayed and treatment is delayed. But the best chance for survival of any cancer is early diagnosis and treatment. Women should not be afraid to get a mammogram. Many stringent safety precautions have been put in place in our imaging centers to protect everyone from covid-19. If you've put off a mammogram, don't put it off any longer.
Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early. The most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have yearly mammograms. Since mammography became widely used in the 1980s, the U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped 43 percent.
Here in Arkansas 486 new female breast cancer cases were reported in 2018, the most recent year data is available.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) and Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) recommend all women, particularly African American women and those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, have a risk assessment at age 30 to see if a screening earlier than age 40 is needed. Women who were previously diagnosed with breast cancer are recommended to be screened with magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI.
For women of average risk, the ACR and SBI recommend annual mammograms starting at age 40. Different guidelines apply to women at higher risk. A screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.