Making use of mammograms: After 40 years of use, doctors say mammograms are still the best way to detect breast cancer

"Mammography is wonderful because it can find the cancer before it's palpable, that is before you can feel it. ... We've found that with mammography, we can find cancers before they become palpable, with the idea being that the earlier we find something, hopefully it's going to allow us to remove it before it's become metastasized, and should give an improved outcome and survival," says Dr. Mark Gates, a radiologist and president of Cape Radiology Group.

Gates says the American College of Radiation and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend women have their first mammogram at age 35 and yearly mammograms beginning at 40, even though the average age of breast cancer detection in women is around 65 years old.

Dr. Olivia Aranha, an oncologist and hematologist at Saint Francis Medical Center, says mammograms are paramount in detecting breast cancer. She says she encourages women to conduct self breast exams as early as their 20s, especially for women who have a strong family history of breast cancer.

"The earlier you detect it, the better it is, the more likely you are to beat it. I can't reiterate enough getting those mammograms and trying to detect it early so all they [the patients] would need is just surgery and may or may not need radiation," she says.

Advancements are steadily being made in regards to breast cancer detection, including tomosynthesis mammograms, a newer technology that has been introduced at Saint Francis Medical Center and SoutheastHEALTH that allows a more thorough and effective mammogram.

Patient talking with doctor

Gates says Cape Girardeau is fortunate to have the tomosynthesis machines, a technology he says only 10 to 15 percent of hospitals in the United States have.

"It will make diagnosis even better," Gates says. "It won't change what the actual woman does. She's still going to get the same mammogram, but from our perspective, we think it's going to be a big advance in the diagnosis and detection of breast cancer."

These scans are considered more comfortable because the machine used has an arm that moves in an arc over a woman's breast to take three-dimensional images and scans, which differs from a traditional mammogram in that it is no longer a static, and it puts less pressure on the breasts.

"Unlike the old two-dimensional mammograms, the tomosynthesis mammogram helps detect tiny lesions. Their sensitivity is really high and they're also with a very high specificity and much more comfortable to the woman than a 2-D mammogram," Aranha says.

Gates says the technology also helps reduce the number of women who are called back on abnormalities in their mammograms, because it allows for more direct detection of minor issues such as benign tumors or cysts.

"I understand the anxiety is high, so if we could reduce that anxiety because we're able to better see into the breast with this technology, it's good for everybody. It's a win-win. We pick up more cancers, and we can be more certain at times that what we saw on the other image wasn't really real. ... It's a win-win for everybody," he says.

Aranha says Saint Francis works with affiliates every year to plan and carry out events for the "Dig for Life" program to help provide mammograms for every woman, regardless of her financial means.

"Even for the women that are uninsured and cannot afford it, we have a program called Dig for Life. In the month of October we have lots of Pink Up events all over Cape, and the goal is to raise money for Dig for Life so we can offer these women who are uninsured free mammograms. ... So when people ask us why we Pink Up, why all these things, well, it's for a reason and for a cause. It's to help those women who couldn't otherwise afford it," she says.

Aranha says 100 percent of the proceeds from the Pink Up events go to support Dig for Life, which, according to Saint Francis Medical Center's website digforlife.com, provides free mammograms for more than 400 patients at Saint Francis and at Black River Medical Center every year.

"[I encourage] women to get mammograms annually if they are 40 or older, keeping in mind that one in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. I think it's really important that they come forward and get them checked annually," Aranha says.