First things first, what do you know about breast cancer?
- Breast cancer is the world’s most prevalent form of cancer.
- In 2020, there were about 2.3 million women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and about 685,000 had died due to complications from breast cancer.
- Men can be diagnosed with breast cancer!
- In the USA, 1 of 100 breast cancer diagnoses is for a man.
- Breast cancer has 5 stages.
The question is, how can you detect breast cancer before it develops into the fatal stage or leads to other complications?
The most efficient way to do this is through a mammogram screening! But, what is a mammogram screening? How can it save you?
What is Mammogram Screening?
A mammogram is an X-ray image of the breast. It is used by doctors to search for early signs of breast cancer. The trick to defeating breast cancer, or any form of cancer is to detect it while something can still be done about it.
Hence, you should go for regular mammogram screenings at the nearest community health center. Or you can just search around on Google for hospitals that offer mammography services near you. For example, if you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, you can type this into the Google search box: “mammography services charlotte”. That would narrow your search results.
When you are undergoing a mammogram screening, you would be asked to stand in front of a special X-ray machine. Your breasts would then be placed on a plastic plate. There would also be another plastic plate to press on your breasts from above. This is to flatten it so the X-ray can be done.
The same thing is done for each breast and then the results are compared and reviewed by the technologist. This would be quite uncomfortable for most women, but the pain is only short-lived and, quite frankly, a small price to pay for the prevention of a fully grown stage 4/5 breast cancer.
Tips for when you have a mammogram screening
To make the test easier for you, here are some tips:
- Don’t wear perfume or deodorants on the day of the screening. They would affect the x-ray image and this might lead to problems in the diagnosis.
- Wear loose-fitting clothes.
- Don’t go for the screening when you’re on your period or a week before. During your period, your breasts would be tender and sensitive. Applying the pressure necessary for the screening would be more painful than normal.
Benefits and Advantages of Mammogram Screening
As one gets older, the chances of having breast cancer increase. This is why breast cancer is much more common in women older than 50 than it is in women younger than that. This is also why women between the ages of 50 to 69 get the most benefit from mammograms screening.
Based on a meta-analysis of random tests, it was discovered that women within the ages of 39-49 who have had or regularly have mammogram screenings have fewer chances of dying from breast cancer than women their age who haven’t gone through the procedures.
Although this advantage is less than the advantage older women get from the procedure, it still increases their chances of noticing any tumor that might lead to breast cancer early on and then correcting it before it blossoms. This advantage increases as the age bracket increases.
As such, getting constant mammogram screenings just might be what would save you from going through the complications of breast cancer. So, hurry and get yourself checked.
If you wish to make further inquiries about the process or have a mammogram screening, reach out to us now. Your health is our priority!
