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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Augusta, Ga. – It’s a part of life after age 40 for most women – or at least it should be. Most women know they should begin getting mammograms at this milestone – earlier if they have a family history – but most don’t know what to look for when deciding where to get them, experts say.
“An imaging center with a dedicated breast imaging physician – someone who only reads images of the breast – is preferable,” says Dr. Suzanne Thigpen, a breast imager with MCGHealth.
The reason, she says, is the age-old wisdom of experience – “The more you do it, the better you get at it,” she says.
Women may also want to look for a center that can offer a continuum care, Dr. Thigpen says. At the MCGHealth Breast Health Center, patients can have a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and can be consulting with a surgeon and oncologist, if necessary, within a week’s time.
“We have pathologists right here, surgeons are right here,” she says. “We do our best to make this a one-stop shop experience for patients. Cancer is bad enough. We don’t need this experience to add to that stress.”
Patients also have the benefit of a multidisciplinary approach and access to the latest and greatest research and clinical trials
“Every Monday, there is a meeting at the MCGHealth Cancer Center to discuss new cases,” she says. “Around that table are radiologists, medical oncologists, plastic and general surgeons, pathologists and radiation oncologists. Those people work together to figure out the best treatment plan for patients. People here are researching breast cancer every day and there are new trials being offered here that people can’t get at other facilities.”
Once women have chosen a facility, there’s still more women should know to make sure they’re getting the best care possible, Dr. Thigpen adds.
For those who aren’t getting their first mammogram, it’s important to make sure your breast imaging physician has the films from past tests. Having those films makes it easier to compare spots to make sure they haven’t changed – often an indicator of the disease.
It’s also important to get a mammogram every year, she says.
“We do good job of reminding women to get mammograms when they turn 40, but we don’t remind them to do it every year,” she says. “While most get one when they turn 40, about 75 percent don’t get them yearly.”
That’s particularly important when you consider that the doubling rate for cancer is between one-and-a-half months and five years.
“Breast cancer doesn’t often hurt and sometimes there is no tell-tale lump,” Dr. Thigpen says. “Imagine if you do have cancer and you wait two or three years between mammograms. The amount of cancer in your body could have doubled or tripled in that time.”
MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org.
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