According to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, ìOne in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Still.îAs a mammographer for more than 25 years, Lois Maxwell has spent her days reading screenings and has definitely witnessed the benefits of early breast cancer detection.ìThe American College of Radiation recommends annual mammograms at age 40,î Maxwell said. ìWomen between 40 and 50 who get breast cancer typically get a cancer that is more aggressive. It can be a lot bigger by the time you catch it.îMaxwell said she recommends that women begin self-examinations in their early 20s. ìIf a young woman is going to get breast cancer, theyíre too young to be screened for it; and the self-examination would be the only way (to detect it),î she said.ìThe most important thing to understand is that all women are at risk for getting breast cancer; and the older you get, the higher the risk. Some women have genetic mutations and are at a higher risk, and a family history makes the risk even higher.îMaxwell said that quite often women who self-examine will find a lump, but most are not cancerous. ìThey still need to be checked out,î she said. ìSome people get so scared that they donít want to go or they assume itís just a cyst and donít get it checked.îIf a woman finds a lump or has pain in her breast, Maxwell said itís best to be seen by a doctor just to be safe. ìFinding it early is the key,î she said. ìThe surgery is less expensive when you find it early, and breast cancer deaths diminish a third to a half when people are getting regular mammograms.îMammograms can be painful and that often deters women from getting the screenings, she said. ìItís very important to schedule it around the time of the month when theyíre least tender,î Maxwell said. ìIf theyíre too tender on that day, then reschedule.îA mammogram is like a wad of chewing gum, she said. ìYou canít see through a wad of chewing gum, but if you stretch it out you can,î Maxwell said. ìItís the same thing with a mammogram. The breast tissue can be separated better when theyíre not so tender.îThe ability to separate the tissue effectively also keeps the dosage of radiation down. ìThe image is digital now and that allows for a markedly decreased radiation dose,î Maxwell said. ìThe risk (exposure to radiation) from having a mammogram is controversial, but there has never been a study done that shows getting a mammogram causes an increase in breast cancer. The benefits far outweigh any risks.ìNowadays, a mastectomy is usually not the treatment (for breast cancer). I know some women want to keep their breasts at all costs and others donít want to have to worry about it,î she said. ìSome opt for the double mastectomy, and I think thatís a very reasonable thing to do, if youíre going to worry about it. And sometimes the risk is so high that itís not a matter of if, but when.îAn indicator of possible cancer cells in the breast is a high breast density, Maxwell said. ìIf it is high, then additional studies may be necessary,î she said. ìIf somebody is giving them the (mammogram) results, it should be included in the results about what the density is. In some states itís required that the woman be informed of the density, but in all states they need to be informed of the results in general.î She said in Colorado, breast density results are not required so women need to ask about it.Additional tests like an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or an ultrasound can almost double the rate of detection, Maxwell said.According to a November 2012 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, screening mammography in the United States has helped to double the number of early-stage breast cancer cases, from 112 to 234 cases per 100,000 women. ìThe rate at which women present with late-stage cancer has decreased by 8 percent, from 102 cases to 94 cases per 100,000 women.î
