The Importance of Mammograms
- SurvivorNet did some digging and found that some mammography facilities and medical centers have a four month wait time for mammogram appointments.
- If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer you should first talk to your doctor and they might be able to help you find another facility that can take you sooner.
- It’s unclear what’s caused them to be so booked up, but it could be the fact that many people try to get their annual mammograms in at the end of the year or because Katie Couric’s recent breast cancer announcement spurred people in certain parts of the country to prioritize their mammograms.
- Screening for breast cancer is typically done via mammogram. The American Cancer Society (ACS) says women should begin yearly mammogram screening for breast cancer at age 45 if they are at average risk for breast cancer. The ACS also says those aged 40-44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year, and women age 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.
- If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier. Risk factors for breast cancer include: being a woman, age, family history of breast cancer or a genetic mutation such as BRCA, having had a prior biopsy on an abnormal area, radiation exposure, lifetime estrogen exposure, not having a child before age 30 or never having children, obesity, drinking alcohol and lack of exercise.
- Signs and symptoms of breast cancer can include a breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue; a change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast; changes to the skin over the breast such as dimpling; developing a newly inverted nipple; peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin; and redness or pitting of the skin over your breast like the skin of an orange.
Mammograms are crucial to detecting breast cancer early, which provides a massive benefit to survival. If you are at a higher risk for breast cancer you should speak with your doctor and seek out another facility that might be able to get you in sooner.
Read More- Penn Medicine University City (Philadelphia, PA) March 2023
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) January 2023
- Temple Health (various locations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) November and December 2022
- Main Line Health (various locations in Pennsylvania) November 2022
- Solis Mammography Einstein Center One (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Late November 2022
- Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center Green Spring Station (Lutherville, Maryland) December 2022, January 2023
- Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (Nottingham, Maryland) December 2022, January 2023
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (New York, New York) April 2023
- NYU Langone Laura Perlmutter Center for Women’s Imaging (New York, New York) December 2022.
- NY Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center Avon Foundation Breast Imaging Center (New York, New York) February 2023
- Princeton Radiology (Princeton New Jersey) Late November, early December
Is It the Katie Couric Effect?
Whether or not mammogram wait times have been affected by Katie Couric’s breast cancer announcement is hard to say, but there’s no denying that her breast cancer announcement on Sept. 28 in an essay for Katie Couric Media shocked the country announced.
"June 21, 2022, was the first day of summer, my 8th wedding anniversary, and the day I found out I had breast cancer," the essay title reads.
Prior to her diagnosis, Couric revealed she was overdue for a mammogram.
RELATED: Check Out The Brave History Of Cancer Advocacy From Breast Cancer Warrior Katie Couric, 65
"'You're due for a mammogram,' my gynecologist said, looking over my medical chart. It was May; I had just gotten a pap smear and was still sitting on the exam table in my pink cotton (open in the front) gown," Couric wrote. "'That's crazy, I just got one!' I told her, with a hint of indignation."
But much to her dismay, Couric actually hadn't had a mammogram since December 2020.
"I'm normally vigilant, bordering on neurotic, about taking care of my health, especially after my husband Jay died of colon cancer in 1998," she wrote. "Had the pandemic given me a skewed sense of time? Had it messed with my memory?"
Following a 3D mammogram, a breast ultrasound and a biopsy, Couric was diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive, Her2neu-negative breast cancer. She's since undergone a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, but she'll need to take an aromatase inhibitor for five years.
Learning about Mammograms
Screening for breast cancer is typically done via mammogram, which looks for lumps in the breast tissue and signs of cancer. The American Cancer Society (ACS) says women should begin yearly mammogram screening for breast cancer at age 45 if they are at average risk for breast cancer. The ACS also says those aged 40-44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year, and women age 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.
When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
For screening purposes, a woman is considered to be at average risk if she doesn't have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer, a genetic mutation known to increase risk of breast cancer such as a BRCA gene mutation or a medical history including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30. Beyond genetics, family history and experience with radiation therapy, experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Connie Lehman, chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, said people who hadn't reached menopause yet should prioritize getting a mammogram every year.
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
"We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving," Dr. Lehman said. "After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
It's also important to be on top of self breast exams. If you ever feel a lump in your breast, you should be vigilant and speak with your doctor right away. Voicing your concerns as soon as you have them can lead to earlier cancer detection which, in turn, can lead to better outcomes.
Understanding Your Breast Cancer Risk
The risk of developing breast cancer varies greatly from person to person, so it's important to discuss your specific risk level with your doctor. That being said, there are some important risk factors to keep in mind.
Major Reduction in Cancer Risk by Following Old Standbys Diet and Exercise
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, laid out several risk factors for breast cancer including:
- Being a woman: Women are at a higher risk for breast cancer, though men can get the disease too.
- Age: "Breast cancer becomes increasingly more common as women age," Dr. Comen said.
- Family history: "Some people think that breast cancer is only inherited through genes on the mom's side,' Dr. Comen said. "But it can also be related to genetic mutations that could be found on the father's side."
- Having had a prior biopsy on an abnormal area: "There are different markers, that if a woman has had a biopsy, it's important that she talk to her doctor about whether those markers are lending themselves to an increased risk of breast cancer," Dr. Comen said. If you've had a biopsy that indicated atypical hyperplasia, for example, you are at an increased risk of breast cancer. Atypical hyperplasia isn't cancer, but it is a precancerous condition that describes an accumulation of abnormal cells in the milk ducts and lobules of the breast.
- Radiation exposure: Cancer survivors who've had radiation to their chest are at an increased risk of breast cancer.
- Lifetime estrogen exposure: "About 2/3 of breast cancer are driven by the hormone estrogen," Dr. Comen said. "So, that means if a woman has had her period at an early age and started to go through puberty at an early age, at seven, eight, nine, and potentially a later age of menopause, means that her lifetime of having had menstrual periods and being exposed to higher levels of estrogen is higher, and therefore her risk of breast cancer is slightly higher."
- Not having a child before age 30 or never having children
- Obesity
- Drinking alcohol
- Lack of exercise: "While there's more research to be done in this area, it looks like if a woman is not exercising, she may also increase her risk for breast cancer," Dr. Comen said.
Alcohol Can Increase the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
Know the Signs of Breast Cancer
It’s always important to stay on top of any changes to your health and address them promptly. Signs and symptoms of breast cancer can include the following:
- A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
- A newly inverted nipple
- Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
- Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
It's important to keep an eye out for these symptoms while remembering that having one or many of them does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer. Regardless, you should always speak with a doctor right away if anything ever feels off or you're experiencing one or more of the signs listed above. You never know when speaking up about your health can lead to a very important diagnosis.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.