Many opportunities exist to improve Breast Cancer outcomes. One of these opportunities is simply ensuring consistency with the screening guidelines and recommendations, which are inconsistent between the American College of Radiology and the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force. At Eve Wellness, we frequently get the questions of “How should I screen ?” and “How often should I get screened ?”  

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A recent study of 8,145 patients from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, supported by the National Cancer Institute answers the question of “How Often ?”.   The executive summary is that “the percentage of late-stage cancers increased significantly with increased screening intervals.”  A major goal of screening is to identify any abnormalities as early as possible to increase the treatment options available as well as improve the outcome.

Very specifically, “The percentage of late-stage cancers—TNM Stage IIB or worse—was 9% for annual, 14% for biennial and 19% for intermittent”.  Taking the time to get screened on an annual basis makes a significant impact, and that is how often we recommend screening, which is consistent with The American College of Radiology.

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See the study here:  https://www.health.pitt.edu/news/new-study-supports-annual-mammograms-breast-cancer-screening-women-over-40

How should I screen ?

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The question of “How should I screen ?” is also unnecessarily confusing.  We recommend an annual Mammogram.  If the Mammogram indicates someone has dense breast tissue, secondary screening via Ultrasound or MRI is crucial.  Why?  There is a substantial risk that cancer can be hidden in dense breast tissue with only a Mammogram.  https://www.myevewellness.com/blog/ultrasound-screening-dense-breast-tissue

If you receive a letter indicating no cancer was seen, but you have dense breast tissue, you need to have the secondary screening to be sure you don’t have abnormalities.  We frequently hear stories of women who have had Mammograms and yet develop cancer after having no findings from the Mammogram, and this is manageable with secondary screening.  The letter that you have dense breast tissue is now required in all states.  Eve Wellness (www.myevewellness.com) was specifically created to solve this need.

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According to the study data, if these simple guidelines were followed by all women, there would be a larger improvement in breast cancer outcomes than all the improvements over the past three decades combined. We highly encourage you to screen frequently (every year) and thoroughly to find any problems very early. It’s a small investment of your time and money.

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