A
mammogram can be an unpleasant experience, so, a lot of women don't look forward to it, and thus, neglect having one.
Currently, many insurance companies are only required to cover annual
mammogram screenings for women over the age of 40, but over 12,000 cases of breast cancer are detected annually are in women under the age of 40 and are oftentimes in later stages and more aggressive forms of cancer.
AT LEAST ONCE a year for seven years after I turned 40, a doctor would invariably tell me I needed a
mammogram. Every year I said no, invoking the recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force, which say
mammograms before age 50 aren't usually necessary.
Some of the women we're seeing are from underserved communities who have never had a
mammogram. Our motto is: 'Get screened; no excuses.'"
A
mammogram can often find or detect breast cancer early, when a tumor is tiny and even before a lump can be felt, and this is when it's easiest to treat.
A better
mammogram? Increasingly women are asked if they want a 3-D
mammogram instead of the regular X-ray -- and now U.S.
At an Austin radiology center on a recent afternoon, a technologist pointed to an X-ray image to explain what doctors can see on a 3-D
mammogram more clearly than on a 2-D one: blood vessels, mammary glands - and early signs of cancer.
Rather, breast density can only be determined via a
mammogram.
NYT Syndicate How frequently should women get a
mammogram? Guidelines differ, but a new study estimates thousands of lives could be saved if
mammograms were done every year from age 40 to 84.
Today, five
mammogram centres operate in Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta.
Every week, I see women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer who have never had (or have not recently had) a screening
mammogram. It saddens me to say that even with the most advanced cancer treatments, these women are more likely to die of their breast cancer.
No one really wants to get a
mammogram. What women really want to know is that they are healthy and "all clear for another year." For those who discover an issue, early detection is key.