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There is really no excuse not to have a mammogram.
That's what Chris Roberts, a navigator at Sparks Women's Center in Fort Smith, said, who has heard all the excuses in the book from women over 40 who say they have no family history. breast cancer but who think that mammography will be painful.
But Roberts says improved technology helps women find their breast cancer sooner than ever before, which means better chances of survival. She and Laura Mobley, RT Radiology Technologist at Sparks Women's Center, spoke at the Don W. Reynolds Cancer Support Home in Fort Smith.
"I'm pretty daring," Roberts said. "I'll just say," Have you had your screening mammogram this year? Roberts says that she gets either a "yes" answer from women who have had their mammograms or are scheduled, or a "no" answer with a variety. excuses.
"The most typical answer I've heard is," No, but no one in my family has ever had breast cancer, "" Roberts said. "The problem with this is 80 to 85% of all diagnosed breast cancers, that person does not have a family history of breast cancer."
When a person does not have a family history of the disease, there may be many reasons for this, Roberts said. This includes not having many women in the family. Roberts herself is a breast cancer survivor who has very little history of the disease in her family.
Among other concerns related to mammography, one has to wonder if the insurance will pay for the mammogram.
"There are many programs to help people (pay for a mammogram)," said Roberts. "It's so sad when we're at the Women's Center and someone comes in with this huge bump they've heard of … and who's just 65 and just got it." it's so sad for us because there are places in Arkansas, in Oklahoma … that if these women had known it, they could have been get help.
"If you know someone who does not pass his mammogram because he's not covered by insurance, have him call us at the Women's Center."
Arkansas BreastCare is an income-based option for some women, as are grants from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Many women also fear that the procedure will hurt.
"Some other things I hear – they're scared – they do not want to have a mammogram because someone told them it hurt," Roberts said. "They do not want to be crushed, they've never had one before and they're scared to die because they think it's going to hurt."
"Well … if it's uncomfortable, it's usually just a little discomfort that only lasts a few seconds."
3D mammograms have improved cancer detection capacity, Mobley said. A 3D mammogram involves a little more radiation, but fewer women need to come back for a second mammogram because of the new technology. 3D mammograms can visualize the breast in a 1mm layer over many layers and are particularly useful for detecting cancer in women with dense breast tissue.
"When you look at the cost of reducing reminders and creating images, etc., everything goes away (in terms of radiation levels)," Mobley said.
Roberts illustrated the benefits of 3D mammograms with the help of ping-pong balls and a grain of rice. A ping pong ball is the size of a size that is found most often by accident, while a 3D mammogram can detect cancer as small as a grain of rice.
"If you decide you are not going to do a mammogram, you will not get it for a few years, it is about the size of a size that you will find by accident, "said Roberts. a ping-pong ball. "I think it's a good idea, at least 40 years old, to have a screening mammogram every year, so we can find it when it's the size of that little piece of rice instead of finding it when he is so fat, ping pong ball). "
Finding cancer at an early stage means fewer chances of getting chemotherapy, Roberts said. Surgery, radiation and drugs are other possible options, she said.
Roberts said women should have their breast examined by a doctor every year for lumps.
Genetic test
Sparks offers genetic testing for women to know their risk of breast cancer. Women qualify for the test based on family history and the age at which loved ones were diagnosed with breast cancer, or if they were diagnosed themselves. The procedure involves a blood test.
But why would anyone want to know his risk?
"What we're trying to explain to them is that if you have a genetic mutation, your insurance will recognize that you need to be monitored more closely," Mobley said. "They will pay for an MRI, they will pay for an ultrasound of your ovaries, it just allows the insurance to be aware of it and increases your surveillance so that you can detect it sooner."
Mobley added that it's not because a person does not have a genetic mutation that she will not contract breast cancer. And if you have the test and you are positive, then you know that your children have to be tested, she said.
Roberts and Mobley both said that with respect to women over 40 who are passing their mammograms, no excuses are stealing.
"We have survived longer – there are more survivors than ever before," Roberts said. "We detect breast cancer at an early stage. We have better treatments. But what has not changed is one in eight women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. We discover it earlier, treat ourselves better, and people survive longer. "
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