Maryland's Health Matters - Charles Regional - Fall 2017 - 7

care providers answer some of the

pinhead dots, and on a mammogram,

most common questions women have

deodorant can look exactly like these

about mammograms:

microcalcifications."

WHY DO I NEED
A MAMMOGRAM?

HOW LONG WILL I HAVE
TO WAIT FOR RESULTS?

"Mammography is the gold standard

Screening mammograms are the

of screening for breast cancer," says

regularly scheduled yearly exams

Eleanor Faherty, MD, a breast surgeon

to set a baseline of what a woman's

and chair of the Department of Surgery

breasts show and to monitor changes.

at UM CRMC. The benefit can be mea-

Diagnostic mammograms are done

sured in life-and-death terms. Early

when a patient or doctor finds a lump

detection reduces the risk of dying from

or another abnormality. For screening

breast cancer by 25 to 30 percent.

mammograms, "it's very typical that

Having mammograms yearly means

within a week, a woman knows if her

you have a greater likelihood of discov-

mammogram was positive or nega-

ering a cancer in an earlier stage. "The

tive," says Bolivia Davis, MD, chair of the

five-year survival and 10-year survival

Department of Radiology at UM CRMC.

of breast cancer is significantly bet-

For diagnostic mammograms, Dr. Davis

ter when it's discovered at the lowest

says, there is support throughout the

stage," Dr. Faherty says.

process by radiation technologists, fol-

DOES IT HURT?

lowed by discussions with the doctor,
patient and radiologists, "so that within

A mammogram can be uncomfortable

the day, that patient knows what the

physically and emotionally, but you

next step is and what to expect."

can minimize both aspects by preparing,
relaxing and scheduling a treatment at
the end of your menstrual cycle, when
your breasts are less tender.
"Pain is probably the biggest fear

WHAT IF I GET CALLED
TO COME IN FOR
MORE IMAGES?
Although getting a callback after

that women have, but it's really not very

a screening mammogram can be

painful," says radiologic technologist

stressful, "it just means they need

Linda Poag. "A little bit of pressure is

more information," Dr. Faherty explains.

applied to each breast and there are two

Confusion over what a radiologist is

views done on each breast, so the whole

seeing in the image doesn't mean

process takes about five minutes."

you have cancer. It doesn't necessarily

"I'm a woman. I've had a mam-

The American College of Radiology and the American Congress
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend the following:
■ Women 40 to 74 with
an average risk of breast
cancer should have an annual
mammogram and clinical
breast exams.
■ Women 75 and older with
an average risk of breast
cancer should decide, with
their physicians, whether
to continue having mammograms and how often.
■ Women with a higher risk
of breast cancer (because of
a personal or family history)
should talk with their physicians about when and how
often to have mammograms.

mean you need a biopsy. In some

mogram," Dr. Faherty adds. "It wasn't

cases, the image isn't clear and just

nearly as bad as I thought it would be."

needs to be retaken.
The good news is that tomosynthe-

DO I NEED TO DO
ANYTHING TO PREPARE
FOR THE TEST?

sis, also known as 3-D mammography,

You'll be asked not to wear deodorant.

imaging center offers tomosynthesis as

"The reason is because we want to avoid

part of its services. "It's more accurate

false-positive results," explains Poag.

and allows us a lot more flexibility in

"Sometimes women develop micro-

diagnosing breast conditions of all sorts,

calcifications, which look like tiny white

especially breast cancer," Dr. Davis says.

visit charlesregional.org/healthy.

BREAST
CANCER
SCREENING
GUIDELINES

allows for greater clarity and may reduce
callbacks. UM CRMC's new outpatient

charlesregional.org | Fall 2017  7
http://www.charlesregional.org http://www.charlesregional.org/healthy
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland's Health Matters - Charles Regional - Fall 2017
