October 15, 2021 By Sotera Wireless

National Mammography Day - October 15

National Mammography Day is a part of Breast Cancer Awareness month and is celebrated on the third Friday of October every year. Mammograms are a hugely important aspect of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as millions of women across the globe are encouraged to attend Mammography screenings as part of the defense against developing breast cancer.

According to the CDC, cancer is the second biggest cause of death among Americans. Breast cancer is among the most common diagnosis in women, and screenings and exams are crucial for early detection and treatment.

History of National Mammography Day

A mammography is a technique using low-energy x-rays to detect calcification, which is a sign of the beginning stages of breast cancer. In the late 1950s, Robert Egan developed an innovative method to screen mammograms for the first time. In 1959 he published his results and later released a book called “Mammography” in the early 1960s. His contribution began to be known as “The Egan Technique” and allowed doctors to detect hardening masses within the breast’s tissue.

When getting a mammogram, the breast is compressed via a mammography unit. This compression evens out the thickness of the breast tissue to decrease the amount of scattered radiation and prevent blurring from motion. Women are discouraged from wearing deodorant, lotion, or talcum powder during these screenings as they may show up on the x-ray as calcium spots. The procedure is said to be painful, or highly uncomfortable, which is the main reason many women might not return or schedule continuing exams.

There are currently over 3.1 million survivors in the United States alone, living due to early detection technologies like mammograms. It is recommended that women aged 40 and up schedule their mammography appointments biennially. However, if women are at higher risk for breast cancer, they are encouraged to schedule their appointments annually instead. Factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer include heavy smoking, excessive drinking, or a family history of breast cancer. There are also ways women can decrease their chances of being afflicted with breast cancer, such as: moderating alcohol intake, avoiding cigarettes, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy diet.

Why National Mammography Day is Important

With annual and biennial mammograms, women over age 40 promote their own self-care. Mammograms are non-invasive x-ray images of each breast that doctors review for anomalies that may indicate cancer. Unfortunately, many women are afraid to make their mammogram appointments for fear of radiation and breast discomfort during the exam. But fear not because the procedure takes only about 20 minutes.

Early detection screening has successfully reduced the U.S. breast cancer mortality rate by almost 40 percent according to the National Cancer Institute. That once-a-year mammogram is so effective that it can reveal breast changes up to two years before either a patient or their doctor can feel them.

In most states, you don't need a doctor's permission to make your mammogram appointment. As long as you are over age 40, you can refer yourself to a facility. Make sure that the facility is certified by regulating agencies including the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Bring copies of previous mammograms with you, especially if you are using this facility for the first time.

Five things you may not know about Breast Cancer

Know your risk factors

Studies have shown that your risk for breast cancer is due to a combination of factors. The main factors that influence your risk include being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.

Some women will get breast cancer even without any other risk factors that they know of. Having a risk factor does not mean you will get the disease, and not all risk factors have the same effect. Most women have some risk factors, but most women do not get breast cancer. If you have breast cancer risk factors, talk with your doctor about ways you can lower your risk and about screening for breast cancer.

Yearly and biennially mammograms can be dangerous for women under 40, which is why it is recommended to only begin the process once this age minimum is reached. Once a woman reaches the age of 40, the benefits of mammograms far outweigh the risks.

Risk factors you cannot change:

Getting older. The risk for breast cancer increases with age; most breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50.
Genetic mutations. Inherited changes (mutations) to certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Women who have inherited these genetic changes are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Reproductive history. Early menstrual periods before age 12 and starting menopause after age 55 expose women to hormones longer, raising their risk of getting breast cancer.
Having dense breasts. Dense breasts have more connective tissue than fatty tissue, which can sometimes make it hard to see tumors on a mammogram. Women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast cancer.
Personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases. Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to get breast cancer a second time. Some non-cancerous breast diseases such as atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ are associated with a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
Family history of breast or ovarian cancer. A woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if she has a mother, sister, or daughter (first-degree relative) or multiple family members on either her mother’s or father’s side of the family who have had breast or ovarian cancer. Having a first-degree male relative with breast cancer also raises a woman’s risk.
Previous treatment using radiation therapy. Women who had radiation therapy to the chest or breasts (for instance, treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma) before age 30 have a higher risk of getting breast cancer later in life.
Women who took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), which was given to some pregnant women in the United States between 1940 and 1971 to prevent miscarriage, have a higher risk. Women whose mothers took DES while pregnant with them are also at risk.

Risk factors you can change:

Not being physically active. Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
Being overweight or obese after menopause. Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight.
Taking hormones. Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than five years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
Reproductive history. Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk.
Drinking alcohol. Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.

Research suggests that other factors such as smoking, being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, and changes in other hormones due to night shift working also may increase breast cancer risk.

Who is at high risk for Breast Cancer?

If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, you may have a high risk of getting breast cancer. You may also have a high risk for ovarian cancer.

Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk, such as medicines that block or decrease estrogen in your body, or surgery.

What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Breast Cancer?

Many factors over the course of a lifetime can influence your breast cancer risk. You can’t change some factors, such as getting older or your family history, but you can help lower your risk of breast cancer by taking care of your health in the following ways—

Keep a healthy weight.
Exercise regularly.
Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks.
If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you.
Breastfeed your children, if possible.
If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, talk to your doctor about other ways to lower your risk.

Staying healthy throughout your life will lower your risk of developing cancer, and improve your chances of surviving cancer if it occurs.

What Is Breast Cancer Screening?

Breast cancer screening means checking a woman’s breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. All women need to be informed by their health care provider about the best screening options for them. When you are told about the benefits and risks of screening and decide with your health care provider whether screening is right for you—and if so, when to have it—this is called informed and shared decision-making.

Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. Talk to your doctor about which breast cancer screening tests are right for you, and when you should have them.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an organization made up of doctors and disease experts who look at research on the best way to prevent diseases and make recommendations on how doctors can help patients avoid diseases or find them early.

The USPSTF recommends that women who are 50 to 74 years old and are at average risk for breast cancer get a mammogram every two years. Women who are 40 to 49 years old should talk to their doctor or other health care professional about when to start and how often to get a mammogram. Women should weigh the benefits and risks of screening tests when deciding whether to begin getting mammograms before age 50.

The Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines for Women compares recommendations from several leading organizations.

Breast Cancer Screening Tests

Mammogram

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. For many women, mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. At this time, a mammogram is the best way to find breast cancer for most women of screening age.

Having a mammogram is uncomfortable for most women. Some women find it painful. A mammogram takes only a few moments, though, and the discomfort is over soon. What you feel depends on the skill of the technologist, the size of your breasts, and how much they need to be pressed. Your breasts may be more sensitive if you are about to get or have your period. A doctor with special training, called a radiologist, will read the mammogram. He or she will look at the X-ray for early signs of breast cancer or other problems.

Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A breast MRI uses magnets and radio waves to take pictures of the breast. Breast MRI is used along with mammograms to screen women who are at high risk for getting breast cancer. Because breast MRIs may appear abnormal even when there is no cancer, they are not used for women at average risk.

Clinical Breast Exam

A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or other changes.

Breast Self-Awareness

Being familiar with how your breasts look and feel can help you notice symptoms such as lumps, pain, or changes in size that may be of concern. These could include changes found during a breast self-exam. You should report any changes that you notice to your doctor or health care provider.

Having a clinical breast exam or doing a breast self-exam has not been found to lower the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Every screening test has benefits and risks, which is why it’s important to talk to your doctor before getting any screening test, like a mammogram. The benefit of screening is finding cancer early when it’s easier to treat. When it comes to risks, harms can include false-positive test results, when a doctor sees something that looks like cancer but is not. This can lead to more tests, which can be expensive, invasive, time-consuming, and may cause anxiety.

Tests also can lead to overdiagnosis, when doctors find cancer that would not have gone on to cause symptoms or problems, or even may go away on its own. Treatment of these cancers is called overtreatment. Overtreatment can include treatments recommended for breast cancer, such as surgery or radiation therapy. These can cause unnecessary and unwanted side effects. Other potential harms from breast cancer screening include pain during procedures and radiation exposure from the mammogram test itself. While the amount of radiation in a mammogram is small, there may be risks with having repeated X-rays.

Mammograms may also miss some cancers, called false-negative test results, which may delay finding a cancer and getting treatment.

Observing National Mammography Day

Make your mammogram appointment

If you've been procrastinating out of fear (or simply denial that you actually are 40), set aside time to make that appointment on October 18. Keep in mind that out of every 1,000 women who get screened, about 100 are asked to do another mammography or allow ultrasound imagery. 20 women will be referred for a biopsy and only five are diagnosed with breast cancer. Even with an abnormal mammogram, there's a high chance cancer has not been detected.

Do a breast self-exam

Now's the time to renew your commitment to monthly self-exams. Call your doctor or nurse practitioner for an appointment to show you the correct way to do one. You can also do an online search for pictures or infographics that will walk you through the process. After all, it's your body — show it some love.

Wear some pink

Pink is the official color of breast cancer awareness, which includes National Mammography Day. Proudly wear your pink ribbon in honor of a friend, loved one, or in awareness for breast cancer in general. It may seem like a little thing, but for breast cancer survivors, it means they're not alone in their struggle.

Find a Screening Program Near You

You can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. If you want to be screened for breast cancer, call your doctor’s office. They can help you schedule an appointment.

Most health insurance plans are required to cover screening mammograms every one to two years for women beginning at age 40 with no out-of-pocket cost (like a co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance).

CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides breast and cervical cancer screenings and diagnostic services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women across the United States.

You may be eligible for free or low-cost screenings if you meet these qualifications: