Surviving Breast Cancer: Early Detection is Key

Fort Sanders Regional thinks pinkEvery October, people around the country don pink ribbons in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in American women according to the American Cancer Society. The society says that finding breast cancer early when it’s small, has not spread and might be easier to treat can help prevent death.

The best way to detect breast cancer early is through screening mammograms. Yet many women skip or delay their annual mammograms when life gets too hectic, like in the midst of a global pandemic. This breast cancer awareness month, take some time to learn about the importance of screening exams.

Thompson Comprehensive Breast Center, a department of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, uses the latest in digital technology, including digital 3D mammography. Also known as tomosynthesis, this technology allows the radiologist to better detect smaller cancers, sooner – even in women with dense breast tissue.

Your mammogram is too important to entrust to anyone other than a nationally rec­ognized practice devoted to your breast health—and that’s precisely what you’ll find at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. Thompson Comprehensive Breast Center is accredited by the American College of Radiol­ogy and is located adjacent to Fort Sanders Regional in the Thompson Cancer Survival Center.

If you’re age 40 or older and haven’t had your first screen­ing mammogram, don’t wait another day to schedule. Breast cancer is easiest to treat when detected in its early stages. By taking time to be proactive about your health, you won’t just be helping yourself— you’ll be helping the people who love and depend on you, too.

Plan Your Self-care

Women should build breast health measures into their routine.

  • Monthly: self-breast exam
  • Every three years after age 20: clinical breast exam
  • At the age of 40 and older: the American College of Radiology and American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend annual screening mammograms

Take it From a Radiologist

Gayle Roulier“Simply put, women should get screening mammograms because mammography saves lives,” said Gayle Roulier, MD, a radiologist with Vista Radiology at the Thompson Comprehensive Breast Center. “Regular screening mammography cuts the risk of dying from breast cancer nearly in half. Also, when breast cancer is detected early via mammography, it allows for treatment with less extensive surgery and less chemotherapy.

In addition to performing the mammogram screening, specialists at the Thompson Comprehensive Breast Center also educate women on the proper way to perform a monthly self-breast exam at home. Dr. Roulier says learning to do these self-exams between medical exams is extremely important.

Don’t Wait

Have you delayed your annual mammogram because of the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic? Fort Sanders Regional protects you from illnesses like COVID-19 through enhanced cleaning procedures, isolation of suspected COVID-19 patients and other precautionary measures. Patients and visitors are screened for COVID-19 symptoms and are required to wear a mask when entering Fort Sanders Regional and other Covenant Health facilities.

If you’re ready to schedule your mammogram, Fort Sanders Regional offers mammography services at Thompson Comprehensive Breast Center downtown and Fort Sanders West Diagnostic Center. To make an appointment or get more information, visit FSRegional.com/Imaging-Services or call (865) 374-4000.

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What to Expect During Your Mammogram

A mammogram itself cannot prove that an abnormal area is cancer, but if a mammogram shows an area in the breast that is abnormal, the physician may order a breast ultrasound or obtain a sample of breast tissue, also known as a biopsy. The tissue is then tested under a microscope to see if it is cancerous.

If you’re new to the mammogram experience, here’s what to expect:

  • Don’t use deodorant, powder or lotions on the day of your mammogram.
  • Wear two-piece clothing.
  • A specially trained radiology technologist will do the X-ray.
  • The technologist will ask you some questions about your breast health and family history of breast disease to assess your risk level.
  • The technologist will ask you to undress, put on a gown and stand next to the X-ray machine.
  • Two flat surfaces (plates) are slowly squeezed together, compressing the breast for a few seconds. This spreads the breast tissue and allows a lower dose of radiation.
  • Once the scans are collected the mammogram process is over, and the radiologist will share the results with your physician.
  • Not counting wait times, the mammography scans take 10 minutes or less to complete.

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