I remember hearing my health-care provider inform me that my most recent mammogram was abnormal and simply wondering, “How could that be possible?”
Even during COVID-19, I never missed a screening, and I regularly check my breasts at home for lumps or other indications of a larger problem. Prior to my mammogram in March, I didn’t experience anything unusual, so I was certain it would be another run-of-the-mill screening.
I was wrong. So wrong, in fact, that I write to you from the recovery of a preventative double mastectomy — a decision I made to combat my high level of risk for breast cancer. Without that mammogram, I never would’ve known the decisions I could make to give me the best chance of a healthy future.
Mammography is the process of using low-energy X-rays to examine breasts and detect areas of abnormality within breast tissue. According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime, and mammograms are the only method proven to reduce the mortality rate through early detection.
Finding breast cancer early reduces your risk of dying from the disease by 25 to 30% or more. With early detection, you can access early (and often less extensive) treatment, which lowers the opportunity for cancer to grow and increases your chances of survival.
If you’re at high risk for breast cancer — you have dense breasts or a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, for example — schedule a mammography screening as soon as you can.
Otherwise, doctors recommend women start conversations with their health-care provider about mammograms at 40.
Even if you don’t have any risk factors, it’s still important not to miss your annual mammograms: About 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history of the disease. Plus, it’s especially critical as you get older. The probability of developing breast cancer within 10 years is 1 in 68 after age 40; 1 in 43 after 50; and 1 in 28 after 60.
Despite your understanding of the significance of mammograms, you might still think there’s no harm in missing just one screening. Let me stop you right there and debunk that idea.
I’ve never missed my annual mammogram and my doctors still identified areas of concern that link to a high risk of breast cancer that led me to get a preventative double mastectomy. A large study of almost 550,000 women over a 24-year period found that women who skip even one scheduled mammogram before a breast cancer diagnosis face a significantly higher risk of dying from cancer.
See how critical these screenings are?
Keep in mind this isn’t the only part of breast health to consider. Because mammograms can correctly identify 87% of breast cancers at early stages, they quite literally save your life. Still, the remaining 13% can go undetected, depending on some risk factors.
This means that annual high-quality screening mammograms along with regular clinical breast exams are the most effective ways to detect breast cancer early.
COVID-19 caused a sharp drop in mammography breast cancer screenings, lowering the number of completed screenings from 56,000 in 2019 to 27,500 in 2020. In the U.S., research shows that the decline was especially severe among women of color and those living in rural areas, who are already a highly at-risk population that consistently falls between the cracks of health equity.
So, where does all this leave us?
Because of the reduced number of completed mammograms in 2020, Breastcancer.org reports that in 2021, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in U.S. women, along with 49,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.
Folks, as I speak to you from the recovery of a very difficult decision I made, I urge you to do the same. If you had a cancer screening booked and missed it because of the pandemic, speak to your doctor ASAP about re-booking it.
Mammograms save lives. As you prepare for your appointment, and even after you have one, be sure to conduct your own breast exams every month. They’re quick and easy to do, and they can also help you detect any abnormalities to further explore with your care provider.
Savita Ginde, M.D., is an advocate and thought leader for reproductive health. Today she is the chief health-care officer for STRIDE Community Health Center, where she oversees all of STRIDE’s health-care services and leads their COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Savita Ginde, M.D., is an advocate and thought leader for reproductive health. Today she is the chief health-care officer for STRIDE Community Health Center, where she oversees all of STRIDE’s health-care services and leads their COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
