Women’s imaging centers see more patients in October
The Women’s Imaging department of Independence Health System Butler will be open for appointments on Saturday, Oct. 7, because the department gets so busy during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, said Lisa Moore, imaging supervisor for the center.
Dr. Danika Hogan, of Independence Health System Women’s Imaging, said the department has constant appointments on a daily basis, which means that many women are already being proactive about cancer screenings.
“We see patients every 20 minutes starting at 7 a.m., and sometimes they go all the way to 6 p.m.,” Hogan said. “We have nine slots in the morning and nine in the afternoon, so it is a busy, robust women's imaging center when we have a lot of patients.”
While the department offers women who get mammograms in October entry into a basket raffle, Hogan said many patients seen by Women’s Imaging throughout the month are heeding the advice of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She urges women to be aware of their breast conditions so they can detect potential cancers early.
“The whole purpose of cancer awareness month is to get your screening mammogram for early detection,” Hogan said. “I feel that mammography does help with the long-term survivorship of breast cancer.”
Moore said the department is usually booked at least two weeks out for appointments for screenings. Although patients can get the results from their mammography exams soon after they leave their appointment, Hogan said people should perform self-exams, so they can more easily notice abnormalities on their bodies.
“They are going to know first,” Hogan said of people who perform self-breast exams. “Because if you start examining your breast every month, subtle differences will bring your attention to it, and then you can get it evaluated sooner.”
Dr. Suzanne Coopey, director of breast surgery with Allegheny Health Network, said the type and stage of breast cancer detected in a woman determines how they are treated.
A person with cancer in pre-formed stages through stage three will typically need surgery, according to Coopey.
“Surgery is almost always part of the treatment plan with breast cancer,” Coopey said. “Stage four is when the cancer spreads to other places in the body, so surgery won't help much.”
Coopey also said treatment has gotten better in recent years, because of targeted therapy, which she said is a “game-changer.”
“That's the big thing is that most of the treatment now has gotten very targeted,” Coopey said. “Rather than just the size of the cancer, we know where it is and how much. We see better response rates to the chemo that way.”
Lumps are an indicator that a person may develop breast cancer, but Hogan also said changes in the nipple can be an early warning sign, while pain is not normally associated with breast cancer.
Hogan said the American Cancer Society estimated earlier this year that 300,000 women would be diagnosed with invasive cancer in 2023. She also said the American College of Radiology recommends women get a mammogram every year after they turn 40 years old, while the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends every other year after age 40.
People who are at an elevated risk to develop cancer, such as those who are related to someone who have been diagnosed, should be especially vigilant.
“The recommendations are to begin screening mammography at 40,” Hogan said. “But if you are high-risk, say your mom had breast cancer at age 39, you would start screening at the age of 35.”
According to Coopey, women who receive mammograms are alerted if they have dense breast tissue, which can mask signs of breast cancer. She said Pennsylvania has had a mandate to alert women who have dense breast tissue for a while, and other states are adopting this as a policy as well.
“With every screening mammogram, you can tell if someone has dense breast tissue,” she said. “The worry is that the mammogram could miss breast cancer because of dense tissue. We're doing a lot more whole breast screenings, for people with dense breast tissue.”
Hogan said that even though an estimated one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, health outcomes after being diagnosed with breast cancer are “way better” than they were 20 or even 10 years ago. She said this is thanks to developments in both detection and treatment technology and methods.
“There is advancement in treatment options,” Hogan said. “Now that we have a 3D mammogram machine that catches even smaller cancers — like, 5 millimeter cancers — hopefully you are catching it before it becomes invasive.”
