Confused about mammograms? Dr. Brown clears the air
Should I get a mammogram? Should I not? The current recommendations on mammograms are somewhat controversial and confusing. In 2009, the United States Preventative Task Force (USPSTF) published new breast cancer screening recommendations. They state that screenings should start at age 50 and continue every two years, up to the age of 75.
Previously, the advice had been for all women over the age of 40 to receive a mammogram each year. The American Cancer Society (ACS) continues to use this guideline. The Breast Diagnostic Center in Fort Collins, one of only six in Colorado to receive the American College of Radiology Center of Excellence designation, also recommends the ACS guidelines.
The USPSTF concluded that there was insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of mammograms at 40. These differing standards have left many women unsure of what to do.
As a medical oncologist I treat patients with breast cancer every day. I recommend starting mammograms at 40. Unfortunately, I see the result of women who elect not to get mammograms. The advanced and often incurable cancers are the most gut wrenching.
If you have a first degree relative with breast cancer start your screenings 10 years earlier than when they were diagnosed. For example, if your mother was diagnosed at age 45, you should start your screening at age 35. I believe that screenings should be yearly. I often see significant changes in a patient's mammogram from one year to the next. This could ultimately be the difference between needing oral hormonal therapy versus chemotherapy.
ACS states that one in eight women will suffer from breast cancer at some point in their lives. There are certain risk factors to be aware of like age, family history of breast cancer, being overweight, lack of physical activity, smoking, and dense breast tissue. Even if these don't apply, all women are at risk. Healthy women get diagnosed with breast cancer every day. A mammogram can detect breast cancer up to two years before you or your doctor feel a lump. The most compelling data shows that survival rates top 98% when detected early.
One final note for awareness. There has been a lot of false information online regarding thermal imaging, sometimes called infrared. There is no scientific data that shows thermograms are an effective screening tool for detecting breast cancer.
Dr. Regina Brown is a medical oncologist at University of Colorado Health. She practices primarily at the Cancer Center in Fort Collins with a subspecialty in breast cancer .