Facts About
Breast Cancer and Mammograms

Getting the facts about breast cancer and mammograms is an important step in taking care of your health. This article provides information on a woman’s risk for breast cancer, the National Cancer Institute’s recommendations about mammograms, and the benefits and limitations of the procedure.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. It is second only to lung cancer in cancer-related deaths. Approximately 180,000 new cases of breast cancer are estimated for this year and about 44,000 women are expected to die from the disease.

Who is at Risk for Breast Cancer: Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at some risk for breast cancer. Your risk for breast cancer continues to increase over your lifetime. Several known factors can further increase your risk for breast cancer. Most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors such as a family history of the disease. Talk to your doctor about the known risk factors for breast cancer.

What Factors Can Increase Your Risk for Breast Cancer?

• One or more of the following conditions place a woman at higher than average risk for breast cancer:
• Personal history of a prior breast cancer
• Evidence of a specific genetic change that increases susceptibility to breast cancer (BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations)
• Mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives, such as cousins, with a history of breast cancer (especially if diagnosed at a young age)
• A diagnosis of a breast condition (i.e., atypical hyperplasia) that may predispose a woman to breast cancer, or a history of two or more breast biopsies for benign breast disease

Not having any of the above risk factors does NOT mean that you are “safe”. The majority of women who develop breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease, nor do they fall into any other special high-risk category.

What Can You Do?

• If you are in your 40s or older, get a mammogram on a regular basis, every 1 to 2 years.
• Talk with your doctor or nurse about planning your personal schedule for screening mammograms and breast exams.
• Gather as much information as you can about your family history of cancer, breast cancer, and screening mammograms.
• Call the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service for more information about breast cancer and mammograms at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
• For the latest information on cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute’s CancerNet website at http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Mammograms?

• A mammogram can find breast cancer before a lump can be felt.
• A mammogram is the best method available today to detect breast cancer early. Early detection of the disease may allow more treatment options.

What Are the Limitations of Getting Mammograms?

• Mammograms may miss cancer that is present.
• Mammograms may find something that turns out NOT to be cancer.

Where Can I Get a Mammogram?

After discussing mammograms with your health care provider and determining that the test is right for you, you may make an appointment through our Central Scheduling department at Skyline Hospital at 509-493-1101, extension 5113. Tests are done Monday through Thursday. You may make the appointment prior to seeing your health care provider as long as you do have a physician that the tests can be sent to for reading. 

Mammograms are a safe way to find breast lumps, often a long time before they can be found by touch. When problems are found early, the chances of recovery are much greater. Free or low cost screenings are available for those who qualify through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Health by calling 1-888-328-2247, call while supplies last.