Breast cancer screening important health care component
Preventive health care emphasizes healthy lifestyle choices like eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. Screening for various diseases, including cancer, is another important component of preventive health care that encourages individuals to be proactive in relation to their overall health.
Women may hear about breast cancer screening as early as adolescence. Despite that, it’s not uncommon for women of all ages to have questions about breast cancer screening.
When should screening begin?
This is not a one-size-fits-all answer. The American Cancer Society advises women at average breast cancer risk to begin screening between the ages of 40 and 44. Women are considered at average risk if they have no personal history or strong family history of breast cancer. Women also are considered at average risk if they do not have gene mutations linked to breast cancer or a history of chest radiation therapy prior to age 30. While the ACS notes women at average risk have the option to begin screening prior to age 44, the organization advises women to schedule annual mammograms beginning at age 45 and to continue getting them through age 54. If screenings do not show anything by age 54, women can then choose to get a mammogram every other year beginning at age 55.
What if I am at elevated risk?
Women who do not meet the criteria for average risk due to personal or family history will need to begin screening much earlier. The ACS recommends women at high risk for breast cancer get a breast MRI and a mammogram every year beginning at age 30. But the ACS also advises women to make this decision after careful discussion with their health care team. It’s also notable that the ACS indicates an MRI should never be substituted for a mammogram, as it’s possible an MRI will miss cancers a mammogram will find.
What is a 3D mammogram?
3D mammography is a relatively new screening option that has piqued many women’s curiosity in recent years. Brown University Health reports that a 3D mammogram rotates in an arc and takes X-rays of the breast at different angles, ultimately producing a more detailed view of the breast for radiologists to examine. By contrast, a 2D mammogram takes single X-rays at two different angles. But the ACS notes many breast imaging centers do not have 3D mammography. If given the choice between a 2D mammogram or none at all, women should always get the 2D mammogram. If 3D imaging is available, then that might be the way to go, as Brown University Health notes 3D mammography tends to detect more cancers and produce fewer false positives.
Are mammograms foolproof?
While mammograms are highly effective at detecting breast cancer, they are not perfect. The O’Neal Cancer Center notes that dense breast tissue can make breast cancer detection more difficult. Because no screening is perfect, it’s imperative that women adhere to screening guidelines even if results are consistently negative and they do not feel anything unusual during self-examinations.
Screening for cancer is an integral component of preventive health care. Women are urged to make breast cancer screening part of their preventive health care routine.