Why Are Mammograms Important

{text:bookmark-start} Mammograms {text:bookmark-end} Mammograms are important to have because it not only affects women over 40, but it affects young and men also. A mammogram (also called a mammography exam) is a safe, low-dose x-ray of the breast. A high-quality mammogram is the most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early. Early detection of breast cancer may allow more treatment options. It could even mean saving your breast or your life. Mammograms are probably the most important tool doctors have to help them diagnose, evaluate, and follow women who've had breast cancer. Mammograms don't prevent breast cancer, but they can save lives by finding breast cancer as early as possible. There are four important things to know

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.

While having regular mammograms every two years does not guarantee you will not get cancer, it may however detect the disease early. Cancer screening makes sense; identify and treat cancer before you know it’s there. The theory behind this is to catch cancer in the initial stages and it will be more curable. This in turn, reduces deaths due to the disease.

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

Mammograms are breast cancer screenings and are of great importance since they detect if indeed a malignant tumor is present and if so what stage it is in (Stephan, 2010). Cancers can be detected at stages I, II, or IIA (Haas et al., 2008).

Early detection by screening for breast masses involves a three pronged approach: mammography, breast self-examination, clinical breast examination. Women should have a baseline mammography screening beginning at the age forty. Women who are at a high risk for breast cancer should have a yearly exam beginning at age the age of thirty. A mammography is an X-ray that allows health care professionals to examine the breast tissue for any suspicious areas. Mammograms can often show a breast abnormality before it can be self-detected. The clinical breast exam is performed by a healthcare professional that is trained to recognize different types of abnormalities and risk factors. The clinical breast exams are conducted in-office, typically completed by a family physician or gynecologist at your annual exam. A self-breast exam is something women should do once a month at home. Breast self-exams help you become familiar with how your

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 most common cancer among women (Macacu, Autier, Boniol & Boyle, 2015). In 2013 in the United State, 40,030 female have lost their life to breast cancer (Bryan, Westmaas, Alcaraz & Jemal, 2014). When women reach the appropriate age for mammogram screening, it should be recommended by their nurse practitioner. Mammogram screening is used to detect early breast cancer and it is the most reliable test that practitioner used to detect breast cancer (Randel, 2016).

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

Dr. Welch made a lot of sense in his argument against the use of mammography for population screening, however, I can imagine that he is probably getting a lot of heat form proponents for the use of mammography as a main source of breast cancer screenings in women. There is a lot of money involved in the use of mammography today, and those stakeholders aren’t going to be happy if the use of mammography is reduced or halted; after all, it is still an effective tool in early detection of breast cancer.

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

will miss some cancers, and it sometimes can lead to follow up of findings that are not