Cancer Screenings Save Lives At Homestead Hospital

  There’s a good chance that someone you know, a relative, friend, neighbor or co-worker, will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease affects one in eight women during their lives and is the second-leading cancer among women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Although men can develop breast cancer, the disease is about 100 times more common among women.

  “Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the ideal time to encourage the women in our lives to focus on their health and receive lifesaving screenings,” said Luisa Lopez-Luciano, M.D., a family medicine physician affiliated with HomesteadHospital.

  Early detection and treatment are key in the fight against breast cancer. Screening tests can find breast cancer early, when it is most treatable and the chances of survival are highest. The ACS recommends that women at average risk for the disease follow these screening guidelines:

•  Women age 20 to 39 should have a clinical breast exam (performed by a physician) every three years. •  Women in their 40s and over should have a clinical breast exam and a mammogram every year.

  In addition to these screenings, Dr. Lopez-Luciano advises women to know how their breasts normally look and feel, and partner with their doctor if they detect any changes.

  “Women need to be their own healthcare advocates,” she said. “Women who are at higher risk may need to be screened earlier and more often than other women. They should work with their doctor to develop a personalized cancer screening plan.”

  Factors that put women at higher risk for breast cancer include:

•  A mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene or other genetic mutations linked to breast cancer, or a first-degree relative with one of these mutations. 

•  A strong family history of breast cancer, such as a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger.

•  A personal history of invasive breast cancer. 

•  Radiation treatment to the chest area during childhood or young adulthood.

  For some women, a customized screening plan may include combining mammography and clinical breast exam with ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mammography remains the best screening tool for breast cancer used today, say experts. It uses X-rays to create images of the breast and can find early signs of breast cancer such as a dense mass or clusters of calcium.

  Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of the breast and MRI uses magnetic fields. When used along with mammography, these tests are effective at screening women with dense breasts and those at a higher risk of breast cancer. These tests also can target a specific area of concern found on a mammogram.

  Although breast cancer death rates are the second highest behind lung cancer, the good news is that death rates have been decreasing since 1989. The ACS attributes the decrease to treatment advances, earlier detection through screening and increased awareness.

  “There are many reasons why women avoid or delay having their mammogram, but it’s important that women make their health a priority,” Dr. Lopez-Luciano said. “I tell my patients, ‘do it for yourself, and do it for the people you love.’”