Mammography FAQ - Pink Promise India (1)

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Mammography FAQs

• Pink Promise India

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I feel healthy. Why should I screen myself?

• Even if you feel absolutely fine, you should get
  yourself screened at a hospital regularly for
  breast cancer with Mammography.
• Mammography is proven to be the best screening
  modality for early detection of breast cancer and
  you can have the best chance of getting
  completely cured.
• Feeling fine and having a health problem may not
  always go hand in hand. For example In case of
  high blood pressure or diabetes, most patients
  will have no symptoms in the early stages.
  Whereas simple tests done by medical
  professionals can reveal these conditions and
  help manage them better.
• Similarly, early breast cancer may be
  asymptomatic. The 5 year survival with localized
  breast cancer is as high as 931. Hence, the
  earlier you detect, the better is the management.
• https//www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/early-det
  ection

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I self-examine my breasts every month. Why screen?

• Self-examination of breasts is a good practice
  but will not help in early detection of breast
  cancer. By the time you feel the lump or some
  abnormality by your hands, it might already be
  too late. Therefore regular screening with a
  Mammogram will help.There are two types of
  Mammography systems A conventional 2D system and
  a more reliable 3D mammogram system which is
  proven to detect on an average 41 more cancers
  than 2D and also significantly reduce false-
  positives1.In reality, with 3D mammogram,
  Radiologist are more confident to inform that you
  have no cancer or if any additional investigation
  is required or not.
• https//www.umms.org/umgccc/cancer-services/cancer
  -types/breast/diagnostic-treatment/3d-mammography-
  exams
• https//www.hologic.com/hologic-products/breast-sk
  eletal/selenia-dimensions-mammography-system

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I have no family history of breast cancer. Why
should I screen?

• Most women who get breast cancer have no family
  history at all.Only 5- 10 of the breast cancers
  may be due to hereditary reasons1 i.e., women
  with family history of breast cancer among blood
  relatives. Such women at higher risk. Another
  small but high-risk group is if ovarian or some
  other type of cancer that has affected someone in
  the family of blood relatives. Therefore, having
  no family history Most women who get breast
  cancer have no family history at all.Only 5- 10
  of the breast cancers may be due to hereditary
  reasons1 i.e., women with family history of
  breast cancer among blood relatives. Such women
  at higher risk. Another small but high-risk group
  is if ovarian or some other type of cancer that
  has affected someone in the family of blood
  relatives. Therefore, having no family history
  does not offer any additional protection against
  breast cancer.Regularly screening yourself at a
  hospital, preferably with 3D mammography along
  with the other modalities as needed such as
  Ultrasound or MRI, is the only way you can fight
  breast cancer before it becomes too big to
  handle.
• https//www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/genetics
  

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I eat healthy and I exercise. Why screen?

• Breast cancer is not comparable to a lifestyle
  disease like diabetes or heart disease. While
  healthy eating and exercise may reduce the risk
  but cannot prevent breast cancer. Limiting
  consumption of fats and alcohol, avoiding
  smoking, moderate exercise, breast feeding, etc,
  are known to reduce the risk of breast cancer (as
  well as other calncers). However, these measures
  alone do not guarantee that breast cancer will
  not occur. Despite a healthy lifestyle, breast
  cancer may still strike even if you have no
  family history. Wisdom lies in detecting it early
  at a stage when it is curable. Breast mammography
  is the gold standard for early detection of
  breast cancer in asymptomatic women, who has no
  family history of breast cancer. Annual Breast
  Mammography therefore after the age of 40 needs
  to be a part of your healthy lifestyle. If there
  has been a family history, you may have to start
  screening even earlier and sometimes with
  ultrasound and MRI too. Remember mammography
  saves lives and breast cancer can be cured if
  detected early.

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I dont want bad news. Why screen?

• On the contrary, regular screening delivers good
  news to most women. The incidence of breast
  cancer varies from 80 to 113 for every 100,000
  people across the world. The aim of screening is
  to detect early for these 80 to 113 people and to
  rule out breast cancer in others. Secondly, 3D
  mammo detects not only early cancer but also
  pinpoints its location for complete removal of
  the tumour by biopsy. So, it is a much better and
  positive news to detect early because of near
  total cure and normal life expectancy. Scientific
  data shows that five-year survival after early
  detection and treatment is 96- 1001.
• Also remind yourself that most lumps, even if
  detected by 3D mammo, are not cancerous. Hence
  its always better to know for sure and have a
  sound sleep rather than pretend as if it will not
  happen to you.
• https//ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/BreastFactsRefe
  rences.html

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Can I request a Mammo for breast screening myself
without a Doctor prescription?

• Yes, you can. Please check with the hospital or
  breast clinic facility whether they have 3D
  mammography.
• Screening for breast cancer using 3D mammography
  helps detect breast cancer much earlier and with
  more accuracy compared to 2D mammography,
  dramatically improving chances of complete cure.
• 3D mammography is especially beneficial in
  detecting small cancers in women with even dense
  breast tissues. Chances of false detection too
  are low with 3D mammography compared to 2D and
  other modalities.
• 3D mammography has proven to be the best in early
  breast cancer detection. In fact, more than 90
  of 45,000 women in a national survey said they do
  not mind traveling an extra distance to avail 3D
  mammography after learning its benefits over the
  other modalities.
• Do speak with your health care provider to
  enquire about the 3D mammography facilities in
  your nearest locations.

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Is 3D Mammo an established procedure?

• Yes. 3D mammogram is a US FDA approved
  technology. Its efficacy over 2D has been proven
  by numerous clinical studies which have examined
  the results in more than 1.7 million screenings.
• A 3D Mammography exam provides clearer, more
  detailed images of the breast area compared to
  conventional 2D mammography. As a result, 3D
  exams are clinically proven to detect more
  invasive cancers than 2D mammography alone.

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• Pink Promise India
• https//pinkpromise.org/india/faq/