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Breast Cancer Awareness Highlands-Cashiers Hospital
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2016/10 - October
Dr. Julie Farrow recently gave a breast health lecture and couldn’t stress enough the importance of proper screening. Dr. Farrow practices at the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in the Jane Woodruff Building and offers complete gynecological services to women in the area.
Dr. Farrow said that the major risk factors for breast cancer in women are age, genetic predisposition, and estrogen exposure.
“I encourage routine breast self-exams, but some organizations that study breast screening do not recommend it,” she said. “They do not see it as effective. They believe that it leads to more radiology studies, biopsies, and anxiety. Yet, I have known patients that have found their own breast cancers after normal mammograms.
“Screening mammography reduces the odds of dying of breast cancer by facilitating early treatment. Overall, the risk of dying of metastatic breast cancer is roughly one-third of what it was in the 1980s.”
Mammograms can detect tumors before they can be felt, so screening is key for early detection. They can detect about 73 percent of breast cancer in women who are in their early 40s and 85 percent of breast cancer in women who are in their early 60s.
While breast cancer screening has been in practice for roughly 40 years, screening technology is evolving. It’s important to have a discussion with your doctor about what screening technique might be most effective for you as an individual. Recommendations rely on a combination of factors, including cost.
Mission Breast Center is devoted to providing state-of-the-art quality breast imaging and diagnosis. This includes screening and diagnostic mammography, 3D mammography, ultrasound, MRI, and interventional procedures including preoperative needle localization, stereotactic US, and MR core biopsy. As a comprehensive breast center, the radiologists and staff at Mission Breast Center are all highly specialized to provide the best care possible. The radiologists are nationally-recognized leaders in breast imaging.
