Preventive care is crucial to detecting diseases, but with busy calendars and lengthy to-do lists, scheduling appointments isn’t always top of mind. According to a survey by Orlando Health, 22% of women between the ages of 35 to 44 have never gotten a mammogram and have no plans of getting one.
The survey also revealed that less than half of U.S. women know their family history of breast cancer and only about a third know their individual risk factors for breast cancer. The findings are troubling to doctors who know that early detection is key to preventing breast cancer, which claims the lives of about 42,000 women each year.
“Mammograms can pick up tumors that are extremely small and result in a diagnosis at a stage zero or one, versus waiting for a patient to feel a lump and by then it’s probably a stage two or three,” explains Dr. Nikita Shah, medical oncology team leader for the Breast Care Center at Orlando Health Cancer Institute, in a press release about the survey. “That’s the difference between a lumpectomy and possibly a short course of radiation and more extensive treatments that involve chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries. Survival also goes from nearly 100% at stage zero to 50 to 70% for those diagnosed at stage two or three.”
New guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network suggest that people with an average risk of breast cancer should schedule annual mammograms beginning at age 40. Those with risk factors, such as a family history, previous biopsies, atypical cells, and dense breast tissue are urged to begin mammograms sooner. Early detection is especially crucial for those who are disproportionately impacted by the disease, such as Black women who are “more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and are 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than white women,” according to the release.
“African American women tend to have a more aggressive disease course, and we want everybody, regardless of their race, to be aware and get their recommended mammograms,” says Shah. “Breast cancer is one of the few cancers where the survival rate is very high when caught early, and we know that early detection is where we can really make a difference.”
Experts advise women talking to their doctor in their twenties to assess their personal risk of developing breast cancer. Monthly breast self-exams are also encouraged to develop a baseline of what’s normal for your breasts and track any changes your doctor should be made aware of.
