Mammograms Are the Key to Stopping Breast Cancer

Penn Highlands Heathcare’s Breast Services Teams have been busy this month educating people about breast cancer and how detecting it early is the best defense. It is suggested that women of average risk, have an annual mammogram starting at age 40. (Photo from Penn Highlands Facebook page.)

By Julie Rae Rickard

Almost 40 years ago, October was first named Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since it began, this has been the time devoted to educating the public about the seriousness of the disease and the importance of having mammograms to detect it early.

“The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 310,720 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 42,250 women will die from it. Mammography is a key tool in fighting breast cancer because when it is detected earlier it is much more treatable” it states in a recent press release from Penn Highlands Healthcare.

Mammograms are a low-dose x-ray that can show changes in a breast long before any symptoms appear.

It is suggested that woman after the age of 40 have yearly screenings unless you are at a higher risk for the disease.

“Women at a higher risk should generally start at an earlier age than women at an average risk. You are at average risk if you do not have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer or a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer,” said Suzanne Iorfido, DO, Chief of Breast Imaging at Penn Highlands.

If you fall into the high risk group, you should have a yearly mammogram starting at age 30.

In addition to having regular mammograms, the Susan G. Komen website, komen.org, suggests women need to be aware of their own body and any changes. This includes:

• A lump, hard knot or thickening inside the breast or underarm area

• Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of the breast

• Change in the size or shape of the breast

• Dimpling or puckering of the skin

• Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple

• Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast

• Nipple discharge that starts suddenly

• New pain in one spot that does not go away

Men can get breast cancer too, so they should also watch for any of the above changes to their anatomy. In fact, estimates are that 2,790 men will be diagnosed with the disease and 530 will die in 2024.

It is important to see a health care professional if you have any symptoms and a mammogram will need to be scheduled.

If you have no insurance or are underinsured, you could be eligible for a free mammogram through the Pennsylvania Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For more information and to see if you qualify, call 1-800-215-7494.

Those living in Punxsutawney may be eligible for the free breast and cervical screening day at Penn Highlands Life’s Journey OB/GYN inside the Punxsutawney

Community Medical Building at 21911 Route 119 on Monday, Nov. 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information, call 888-920-4636.

“I often dream of a time when women no longer die from breast or cervical cancer,” said Ashley Parsons MSN, FNP-C, IBCLC, NCMP, a certified registered nurse practitioner with Penn Highlands Life’s Journey OB/GYN in a press release.

“The key to life after cancer is through early detection and management. No woman should die from either cancer when caught in the earliest stages.”

Having something abnormal appear in your mammogram does not necessarily

mean it is cancer. Your doctor may order an MRI to look at the targeted spot. If something more serious is suspected, the next step is a biopsy which takes a sample of the suspicious tissue that is checked more closely for cancer.

Often biopsies come back negative for cancer. But if you have a positive result, there are various types of breast cancer with different treatments. Research and breakthroughs are happening every day in this field, meaning more women are surviving than ever before. If caught early, 99 out of 100 women survive.

“In the U.S., most people diagnosed with breast cancer will live for many years. Today, there are more than four million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. (more than any other group of cancer survivors,” according to the Susan G. Komen website.

You can reduce your risk of breast and other cancers by staying at a healthy weight, having regular physical activity, making healthy food choices such as fruits and vegetables, limiting your alcohol intake, staying away from tobacco and protecting your skin, are all suggestions from the PA Department of Health.