The Problem of Dense Breast Tissue Essay

If you've had a mammogram before, the radiologist will compare your old mammogram to the new one to look for changes. While they're looking for possible cancer, your doctors may also come across other structures in the breast that deserve further investigation. Calcifications which are tiny flecks of calcium which look like grains of salt located in the soft tissue of the breast that can sometimes indicate the presence of an early breast cancer. Calcifications usually can't be felt, but they appear on a mammogram. Cystsis another mass found in the breast but unlike cancerous tumors which are solid, cysts are fluid-filled masses in the breast. Cysts are very common, and are rarely associated with cancer. Also fibroadenomas can be found these are movable, solid, rounded lumps made up of normal breast cells. While not cancerous, these lumps may grow. And any solid lump that's getting bigger is usually removed to make sure that it's not a cancer. Fibroads are commonly found in young people. {text:bookmark-start} (Breast Cancer, 2007) {text:bookmark-end} There is some much emphasis on breast cancer in woman. Men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer. It is not as common in men as women but it is possible. Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 1690 new cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed

The current recommendation is that women over the age of 40 should receive a mammogram every 1-2 years (Kidd, Colbert & Jatoi, 2015). Breast cancer mortality is higher in ethnic minorities including, Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans (O’Keefe, Meltzer, & Bethea, 2015). With Black, Hispanic, Asian, and White women with breast cancer in a low socioeconomic status, there is also an association with higher mortality rates (O’Keefe et al., 2015). The causes for these disparities is multifactorial and include knowledge deficit, incorrect perceptions about cancer, embarrassment, and prioritization of competing personal obligations, such as working or taking care of family members (Nonzee, et al., 2015). To add to the problem, minority women are much more likely to have high deductible insurance plans, or no insurance coverage at all (Tangka, et al., 2017). These issues lead to later stages of diagnosis of breast cancer, going longer between mammograms, lack of follow-up after suspicious findings on mammograms, and once diagnosed, incomplete treatment of breast cancer (O’Keefe et al.,

This poster urges the importance of getting examined early so the risk of breast cancer greatly diminishes.

Masson conducts a point in her article explaining that some women experience false positive mammograms and treated unnecessarily. She references from the Nordic Cochrane Centre information pamphlet that states “These women will have either a part of their breast or the whole breast removed, and they will often receive radiotherapy, and sometimes chemotherapy” (Masson, 2010). This can harvest a psychological strain on many women and cause increased distress and anxiety. Along with the emotional strain, direct financial costs to health services will be applied due to unnecessary procedures.

Many people think that having a yearly mammogram is a waste time and that it 's not a solution to breast cancer. One hundred thousand women turn into their 30s lives could be saved by annual screening. But others might not be safe those who turn forty. For every 1,000 women who have a mammogram screening only 100 of them are recalled to get more mammograms or ultrasound images, 20 of them are recommended for a needle biopsy, the other 5 are diagnosed with cancer. "About 40,290 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2015 from breast cancer though death rates have been decreasing since 1989"("U.S. Breast Cancer...). The number of deaths was 21.9 per 100,00 women per year. These are the rates age-adjusted and based on 2008-2012 cases and

Currently mammography and ultrasound are basic imaging techniques for detection and localization of breast tumor. Breast Ultrasound is a typically painless medical test that uses reflected sound waves for further evaluation of a breast abnormality or a specific area seen on mammography. Ultrasound can locate and measure abnormalities or changes to determine if a breast lump is solid or filled with fluid. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast which may find tumors that are too small to feel. Women aged 40 to 74 years should have annual screening mammograms to lower chance of dying from breast cancer(2,15).Mammograms are less likely to find breast tumors in women younger than 50 years. This may

Describe the three-pronged approach to early detection of breast masses: mammography, clinical breast exam, and self-awareness.

In today’s society, women are not getting their mammograms done because they feel they are not necessary or because they are afraid of the results of the mammograms. Since women do not get their mammograms done, they are exposed to breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who get mammograms, reduce about “15% to 20% in mortality from breast cancer” (“National Cancer Institute” 1). If women would increase the rate of getting mammograms, there will be less deaths in women.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women in the United States. A mammogram, is a simple test done with x-ray, to screen women for abnormalities of the breast. Over the past six years, the guidelines put out by various healthcare organizations have changed multiple times on when women should begin screening mammograms. Based on statistical data collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), 20 percent of women go without a screening mammogram for their own various reasons, of which may be lack of insurance, lack of time or lack of knowledge as to when they should be getting a screening mammogram done due to the recent changes in recommendations. The utilization of annual screening mammograms beginning at age 40 will continue to help reduce the incidence rate of women with breast cancer, or catch it early enough so that treatment can be sought.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the US. About 40,000 women die from breast cancer each year, making it “the second leading cause of cancer death among women” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) requires insurers to “provide coverage for and shall not impose any cost sharing requirements for” preventive services which are “in the current recommendation of the United States Preventive Services Task Force” (USPSTF). Nevertheless, the ACA makes an exception for breast cancer screening by stating that the USPSTF’s recommendation regarding mammogram “shall be considered the most current other than those issued in or around November 2009”. By using this legislative tool, the federal government mandates health insurers to provide coverage for annual or biennial mammograms in women aged 40 and older (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2013).

The Author reports that the new recommended age for mammograms, by the United States Preventative Services Task Force, has changed from 50 to 40 to reduce the harm from over screening and overtreatment. It also reports that self-breast examinations are no longer recommended on a regular basis. This recommendation comes from evidence that there are no major benefits of early screenings and that only “one cancer death is prevented for every 1,904 women” screened, age 40 to 49. Conversely, there is evidence that frequent early screenings can lead to overtreatment

Mammograms are used for screening purposes and for accurate diagnosis of breast cancer or diseases. Screening and diagnostic mammograms are the two types of mammograms. National Cancer Institute (2016) states, “Screening mammograms usually involve two or more x-ray pictures, or images, of each breast. Diagnostic mammograms can also be used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found”. There are several issues concerning mammograms such as false-positive results. In addition, screening is an issue with individuals with breast implants. False- positive results is could be caused if the individual is taking hormonal therapy or have dense breast tissue. National Cancer Institute (2016) explains, “More than 50% of women screened annually for 10 years in the United States will experience a

Three-quarters of all breast cancer patients are not in any of the groups considered at increased risk for breast cancer, indicating that not all risk factors are understood. As a result, doctors recommend that every woman should familiarize herself with the techniques for monthly breast self-examination. X-ray examination of the breasts, a technique called mammography, can detect tumors before they are large enough to be felt and increase the odds for successful treatment. The American Cancer Society recommends that women over age 40

women normal breast tissue have a density of carcinoma. It very difficult to tell which is

A female breast consists of fatty and fibrous connective tissues. The interior of the breast is divided into about twenty different sections called lobes. Each of the lobes is further divided in to lobules, which are structures that contain small milk-producing glands. These glands place the milk into tiny ducts. These ducts take the milk through out the breast and store in a chamber located below the nipple.