Don’t Wait: Early Detection Key to Breast Cancer Treatment - Archived

For More Information:
Barbara Mackovic, Senior Manager
502.562.7075 or 502.641.5461                                                                                 
[email protected]

 

Don’t Wait: Early Detection Key to Breast Cancer Treatment

 

Louisville, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2013) — When breast cancer is detected in the early stages, treatments are less invasive, and survival rates are greater. With October serving as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, part of KentuckyOne Health, urges women not to put off scheduling their annual mammogram.

 

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women. About 12 percent of women in the United States will develop an invasive form of breast cancer during their lifetimes. Mammograms are the most common and effective way to detect abnormalities in the breast that could lead to cancer.

 

Women who are nervous about getting their first mammogram should not fear this simple procedure. A mammogram is merely an X-ray exam of the breast. During the screening, the breast is compressed or squeezed between an adjustable plastic plate (on top) and a fixed X-ray plate (on the bottom). The bottom plate holds the digital “camera” that makes the image of your breast. The pressure on the breast lasts only a few seconds. Using digital technology to examine mammography images and flag abnormalities in the breast, health care professionals at James Graham Brown Cancer Center can assist radiologists in detecting early breast cancer.

 

“The earlier breast cancer is detected, the more options you have,” said Lane Roland, M.D., associate professor of radiology for the University of Louisville School of Medicine and co-director of breast imaging and intervention for the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “Early detection leads to a diagnosis in an earlier stage, which means more treatment options and a better prognosis. If you wait until you can feel a lump during a self-exam, you might already be in a later stage. Our goal is to see the cancer before a woman can feel it.”

 

A mammogram screening falls under preventive care and is covered by most insurance plans.

James Graham Brown Cancer Center, like all of KentuckyOne Health, supports the American Cancer Society’s screening recommendations for mammograms:

 

• Yearly mammograms are recommended for all women beginning at age 40 and continuing as long as they are in good health.
• A clinical breast exam should be performed every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and annually for women 40 and older.
• Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to their health care provider immediately. Starting in their 20s, women should perform regular breast self-exams.
• Women who have a family history or a genetic proclivity toward breast cancer should be screened with an MRI in addition to mammograms. Only about 2 percent of women in the United States fall into this category.

 

Women should talk with their OB/GYN about any special considerations for regular screenings, and whether individual circumstances warrant additional tests at an earlier age. For more information about one of the many Jewish Hospital or Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital locations, go to h/hospital-news/saint-joseph-london-earns-energy-star-rating-efficiency-archived, or to schedule a mammogram screening, please call 502.587.4327. Also, for an updated schedule of our mobile mammography unit screenings, go to 

http://kentuckyonehealth.org/body.cfm?id=3579&fr=true  More information or to schedule an appointment at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, call 562.HOPE or 502.562.4673

 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies, with nearly 15,000 employees across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky.

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Breast Cancer Fact Sheet

 

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. The damaged cells can invade surrounding tissue, but with early detection and treatment, most people continue a normal life.

 

Mammograms are the most common and effective way to detect abnormalities in the breast that could lead to cancer. A mammogram screening falls under preventive care and is covered by most insurance plans.

 

American Cancer Society’s screening recommendations for mammograms:

 

• Yearly mammograms are recommended for all women beginning at age 40 and continuing as long as they are in good health.

 

• A clinical breast exam should be performed every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and annually for women 40 and older.

 

• Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to their health care provider immediately. Starting in their 20s, women should perform regular breast self-exams.

 

• Women who have a family history or a genetic proclivity toward breast cancer should be screened with an MRI in addition to mammograms. Only about 2 percent of women in the United States fall into this category.

 

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women.

 

About 12 percent of women in the United States will develop an invasive form of breast cancer during their lifetimes.

 

Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

 

The estimated breast cancer incidence rate (per 100,000) in the state of Kentucky is 121.  The national average is 122.

 

The estimated breast cancer mortality rate (per 100,000) in the state of Kentucky is 23.  The national average is 23.