Hospital encourages mammograms during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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In observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, McLeod Health Clarendon hopes to raise awareness this October for breast cancer.

Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

A number of studies have shown that when breast cancer is diagnosed at an early, localized stage, it has a very high cure rate of greater than 90 percent. Yearly screening mammograms can also help to detect breast cancer early, at a time when it is very treatable.

The American Cancer Society provides the following breast cancer screening guidelines:

Mammogram: Women 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and keep on doing so for as long as they are in good health.

Clinical breast exam: Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam as part of a regular exam by a health expert at least every three years. After they reach 40, women should have a clinical breast exam by a health expert every year.

Breast self-exam: Beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of BSE. Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a health care provider right away.

Although risks for breast cancer include factors that cannot be changed (such as being female, age and family history), there are some actions that may reduce a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. Staying at a healthy weight throughout life, adopting a physically active lifestyle and limiting alcohol consumption may help reduce breast cancer risk.

Mammography is one of the most important techniques used to detect breast cancer. A large benefit of a mammogram is its ability to detect problem areas even before they can be felt in a breast self-exam.

Finding breast cancer earlier means much lower levels of lymph node involvement, and that more women being treated for cancer are eligible for breast conservation.

While standard film mammography creates an image directly on film, digital mammography takes an electronic image and stores it directly in a computer. Digital mammography holds many benefits: the images captured by a digital system are extremely clear and detailed with improved contrast, digital mammography allows a physician to see a spot as small as a grain of sand, and digital imaging also reduces patient waiting time and administers a lower radiation dose. I

n addition, Radiologists can use computer software to help interpret digital mammograms.

All women 40 and older are encouraged to schedule an annual digital mammogram.

To schedule a mammogram with McLeod Health Clarendon, call (843) 777-2095.

For more information, visit www.McLeodHealthClarendon.org.