Mammography FAQ - Pink Promise India

1. Pink Promise India Mammography FAQs

2. I feel healthy. Why should I screen myself? • Even if you feel absolutely fine, you should get yourself screened at a hospital regularly for breast cancer with Mammography. • Mammography is proven to be the best screening modality for early detection of breast cancer and you can have the best chance of getting completely cured. • Feeling fine and having a health problem may not always go hand in hand. For example: In case of high blood pressure or diabetes, most patients will have no symptoms in the early stages. Whereas simple tests done by medical professionals can reveal these conditions and help manage them better. • Similarly, early breast cancer may be asymptomatic. The 5 year survival with localized breast cancer is as high as 93%1. Hence, the earlier you detect, the better is the management. • https://www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/early-detection

3. I self-examine my breasts every month. Why screen? • Self-examination of breasts is a good practice but will not help in early detection of breast cancer. By the time you feel the lump or some abnormality by your hands, it might already be too late. Therefore regular screening with a Mammogram will help.There are two types of Mammography systems: A conventional 2D system and a more reliable 3D mammogram system which is proven to detect on an average 41% more cancers than 2D and also significantly reduce false- positives1.In reality, with 3D mammogram, Radiologist are more confident to inform that you have no cancer or if any additional investigation is required or not. • https://www.umms.org/umgccc/cancer-services/cancer-types/breast/diagnostic-treatment/3d-mammography-exams • https://www.hologic.com/hologic-products/breast-skeletal/selenia-dimensions-mammography-system

4. I have no family history of breast cancer. Why should I screen? • Most women who get breast cancer have no family history at all.Only 5- 10% of the breast cancers may be due to hereditary reasons1 i.e., women with family history of breast cancer among blood relatives. Such women at higher risk. Another small but high-risk group is if ovarian or some other type of cancer that has affected someone in the family of blood relatives. Therefore, having no family history Most women who get breast cancer have no family history at all.Only 5- 10% of the breast cancers may be due to hereditary reasons1 i.e., women with family history of breast cancer among blood relatives. Such women at higher risk. Another small but high-risk group is if ovarian or some other type of cancer that has affected someone in the family of blood relatives. Therefore, having no family history does not offer any additional protection against breast cancer.Regularly screening yourself at a hospital, preferably with 3D mammography along with the other modalities as needed – such as Ultrasound or MRI, is the only way you can fight breast cancer before it becomes too big to handle. • https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/genetics

5. I eat healthy and I exercise. Why screen? Breast cancer is not comparable to a lifestyle disease like diabetes or heart disease. While healthy eating and exercise may reduce the risk but cannot prevent breast cancer. Limiting consumption of fats and alcohol, avoiding smoking, moderate exercise, breast feeding, etc, are known to reduce the risk of breast cancer (as well as other calncers). However, these measures alone do not guarantee that breast cancer will not occur. Despite a healthy lifestyle, breast cancer may still strike even if you have no family history. Wisdom lies in detecting it early at a stage when it is curable. Breast mammography is the gold standard for early detection of breast cancer in asymptomatic women, who has no family history of breast cancer. Annual Breast Mammography therefore after the age of 40 needs to be a part of your healthy lifestyle. If there has been a family history, you may have to start screening even earlier and sometimes with ultrasound and MRI too. Remember mammography saves lives and breast cancer can be cured if detected early.

6. I don’t want bad news. Why screen? • On the contrary, regular screening delivers good news to most women. The incidence of breast cancer varies from 80 to 113 for every 100,000 people across the world. The aim of screening is to detect early for these 80 to 113 people and to rule out breast cancer in others. Secondly, 3D mammo detects not only early cancer but also pinpoints its location for complete removal of the tumour by biopsy. So, it is a much better and positive news to detect early because of near total cure and normal life expectancy. Scientific data shows that five-year survival after early detection and treatment is 96%- 100%1. • Also remind yourself that most lumps, even if detected by 3D mammo, are not cancerous. Hence its always better to know for sure and have a sound sleep rather than pretend as if it will not happen to you. • https://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/BreastFactsReferences.html

7. Can I request a Mammo for breast screening myself without a Doctor prescription? • Yes, you can. Please check with the hospital or breast clinic facility whether they have 3D mammography. • Screening for breast cancer using 3D mammography helps detect breast cancer much earlier and with more accuracy compared to 2D mammography, dramatically improving chances of complete cure. • 3D mammography is especially beneficial in detecting small cancers in women with even dense breast tissues. Chances of false detection too are low with 3D mammography compared to 2D and other modalities. • 3D mammography has proven to be the best in early breast cancer detection. In fact, more than 90% of 45,000 women in a national survey said they do not mind traveling an extra distance to avail 3D mammography after learning its benefits over the other modalities. • Do speak with your health care provider to enquire about the 3D mammography facilities in your nearest locations.

8. Is 3D Mammo an established procedure? • Yes. 3D mammogram is a US FDA approved technology. Its efficacy over 2D has been proven by numerous clinical studies which have examined the results in more than 1.7 million screenings. • A 3D Mammography exam provides clearer, more detailed images of the breast area compared to conventional 2D mammography. As a result, 3D exams are clinically proven to detect more invasive cancers than 2D mammography alone.

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