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Mammography can save you from breast cancer!

25/Sep/2006: With one out of eight women at risk of developing breast cancer in their life time, health experts around the world are recommending annual mammograms for all women over 40, to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Mammogram or mammography is a process widely used to examine breast to identify tumor and cysts. Mammography has a proven track record to reduce mortality from breast cancer.

Mandie Acey of the Community Connection at Somerset Hospital said that mammogram is the best option available today, to identify tumors in breasts, before they start to cause symptoms.

Women who have close relatives with breast cancer are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer when compared to others and should undergo screening of breasts at regular intervals of time, to escape from this deadly disease.

Dr. Gerald Garguilo of Johnstown said that the increase in breast cancer rates worldwide is a direct result of screening, which helps in identifying breast cancer at its early stages, before it could spread to other areas.

The average life expectancy of women has gone up in the recent years, so does the risk of developing breast cancer. However, screening processes like the mammograms have reduced the breast cancer death rate to a large extent.

In spite of the developments in identifying and treating breast cancer, it remains the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer, among women in Unites States, second only to lung cancer. 275,000 women in U.S will learn that they have breast cancer during this year and 41,000 would die from the disease.

Dr. Dianna Craig, a breast surgeon in Pennsylvania, said that all monthly breast self-exams and annual physical exams are stressful but there is no excuse for not getting annual mammograms done in U.S, as many voucher programs are available through the American Cancer Society to women without health insurance.

Craig added that those who discover lumps in their breasts during physical or self-examination of breasts should report it immediately to a doctor, without panicking. Most of the lumps are not tumors and even if they are, the odds of recovering from it are very promising, with the latest developments in the field of medicine.

Kesavan Siva

Further Reading
http://www.breastfit.com/

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