CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic is honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month while shining light on the growing number of women slipping through the cracks while living with breast cancer undetected. According to the hospital, breast cancer is the second most common cancer for women in the United States.
But doctors are stressing it is also one of the most treatable and curable cancers through early detection.
“What most breast experts recommend is a screening mammogram beginning at the age of 40. Then, every year thereafter,” said Dr. Laura Dean, a Breast Radiologist.
Dean says about one in eight women will experience breast cancer in their lifetime. Her team is focusing on precision during breast screening while trying to get more women screened.
“Our first line of screening is the screening mammogram, which is essentially a very specialized x-ray that's designed specifically to look at breast tissue and designed for the specific purpose of identifying breast cancer as early as possible,” Dean said. “There are some signs of breast cancer that are specifically identified on the mammogram such as calcifications or calcium deposits in the breast. That is one of the things that the radiologist is looking for. Also looking for any new mass or any new pulling or distortion of the breast tissue.”
Self-Screening at home
The Cleveland Clinic recommends annual screening mammograms beginning at age 40 for most women. Depending on your personal risk level and family history, you may need to begin screening even earlier.
At-home examinations are also important in early detection. The clinic suggests examining your breasts each month after age 20 while becoming familiar with the contours and feel of your breasts, which will help determine changes. The hospital notes the best time to examine your breasts is after your menstrual cycle is finished. Moreover, it is determined it is best to have your breasts examined by a healthcare provider at least once every three years after age 20, and every year after age 40.
Artificial Intelligence helps detect breast cancer
Dean says more doctors and radiologists are tagging in artificial intelligence to help better screen for breast cancer. As she explained, the FDA-approved technology can spot the disease at its earliest and smallest stage. Dean says the clinic has had the technology for about three years now.
“There’s certainly a learning curve just like with any new technology,” Dean said. “This is not a, a software that replaces the breast radiologist, but it's software that enhances or augments the interpretation of an experienced breast radiologist.”
According to the clinic, false positives can cause undue stress, “anxiety, and financial burden for patients. [However], AI-driven detection reduces the occurrence of false positives by accurately identifying normal exams. It also decreases the number of false negatives (findings that may be overlooked that should be further evaluated).”
Though it may be the way of the future in medicine, awareness, support, and accessible resources remain the center of early breast cancer detection and for overall women's health.
“At Cleveland Clinic, we have a number of facilities where we're trying to make that as easy and accessible as possible,” Dean said.
