If you’ve ever tried to find information about mammograms, you might have been left a little confused, and the American Cancer Society recently issued new guidelines that have only further added to that confusion. There are a number of resources that provide information about mammography screenings, but often times that information is conflicting. Maybe one website tells you one age to start getting regular mammograms, while a medical blog on a different website tells you a completely different age to start getting regular mammograms.
Confusion about mammography screenings is not only frustrating, but also dangerous. Mammograms are vital in detecting breast cancers. The earlier breast cancers are detected, the greater the chances of saving a life. It’s important that women have accurate information about mammography screening.
The Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas along with the American College of Radiology, and the Society of Breast Imaging, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, continue to support annual mammograms beginning at age 40 as this saves the most lives possible.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in all American women. At The Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas, our goal is to find breast cancers early to reduce the treatment needed and to save lives. Mammography is the only proven cancer screening method to reduce the rate of death from breast cancer.
While things like a family history of breast cancer put a women at a higher risk of having breast cancer, 75% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any high risk factors, making regular cancer screenings that much more important. How regularly? According to the Society of Breast Imaging, annual mammography screenings result in the greatest mortality reduction, and the most life years gained.
According to Dr. Harms of the Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas, individualized care is the most effective. Dr. Steven Harms of The Breast Center of Northwest Arkansas was interviewed on NBC KNWA on October 20, 2015, when the study was released and explained that despite the new guidelines, “a quarter of the women we diagnose with breast cancer are age 40 to 45.” Watch his interview on KNWA