For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the physicians at Arizona Diagnostic Radiology want you to remember to schedule your mammogram.
Studies have long shown that when it comes to breast cancer, early detection is the key to survival. A recent study found that women who had been regular with their scheduled screening mammograms before a cancer diagnosis had a 49% lower risk of breast cancer mortality and a 50% lower risk of breast cancer death within 10 years of diagnosis (Radiology, March 2, 2021).
This data points to what has long been held by experts, including the physicians at Arizona Diagnostic Radiology (AZDRG), that the sooner a doctor finds a woman’s cancer, the more likely she is to survive.
Each October we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, yet in 2022, we find ourselves in a year like no other. On the one hand, advancements in screening methods for breast disease have made tremendous advancements. In addition to implementing 3D technology to screening and diagnostic mammography, some breast centers, like Arizona Diagnostic Radiology, are now employing Artificial Intelligence. At AZDRG specifically, the program is called “Saige-DxTM,” developed by Deep Health. In a recent published study, Saige-DxTM was shown to have the potential to detect breast cancer 1-2 years earlier than current practice (Lotter, W., Diab, A.R., Haslam, B. et al. Nat Med 27, (2021)). Additionally, using AI has been shown to reduce patient recall rates and reduce patient anxiety.
Arizona Diagnostic Radiology also offers patients genetic testing for breast disease, breast MRI, dedicated breast radiologists and opening soon, two new women’s imaging centers (Gilbert and Chandler), and one brand-new comprehensive breast health practice that will treat women through the entire continuum of care, located in the Park Central Mall in Phoenix.
While all the advancements in breast health are extremely exciting, we are still struggling to emerge from a world-wide pandemic. A recent study confirmed that breast cancer screening specifically had a decline that saw over 2 million missed mammography exams (JAMA Network Open, June 3, 2022). While screening volumes did improve after services reopened and various safety protocols were put into place, research still suggests that all of these missed screenings could lead to long-term consequences.
Dr. Linda Greer, a breast imaging specialist and Medical Director at AZDRG, reiterates this study. “We are seeing larger tumors now,” she explains. “These cases will inevitably need more serious treatment, will result in longer recovery times, and perhaps lower survival rates.”
Dr. Greer emphasizes that time will be the ultimate test of what the long-term effect of this decline in screening will be but she says, “the prediction would be that larger, perhaps more aggressive tumors will be found due to the delay in diagnosis, which may now require chemo, and that might not have been the case if caught earlier.”
Dr. Greer points to other issues women faced during the pandemic that contributed to the decline in screening, such as unemployment and loss of health insurance. “It may not all be about isolating and waiting for cleanliness procedures to be in place,” she explains.
Dr. Greer also points out that there are several programs available for uninsured women that will help them get screenings, programs they may not know about. You can find information on free screening programs on various websites, such as www.cancer.org. Free screening mammograms are also available through the Affordable Care Act.
“We need to be more vocal as a profession and get people in for screening,” Dr. Greer emphasizes. And in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in the wake of all that we have been through in the last couple of years, perhaps we should all be more vocal about taking care of our health.