buddycheck 23 June 23, 2009: Screening Recommendations

At Saratoga Hospital, doctors recommend regular mammograms beginning at age 40...screening that is now more accurate, thanks to digital technology.

Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote from Saratoga Hospital says "They can magnify an area, they can change the contrast between black and white... which allows them to really be able to identify small, things of concern that might have been missed with the traditional x-ray in the past."

You may need this type of screening earlier though, if you have a strong history of breast cancer in your family... Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote says 10 years earlier than the age of an immediate family member's diagnosis.
For example, if your mother was diagnosed at age 40, you should get your first mammogram at age 30.  "I know a lot of patients are nervous about the discomfort of the mammography but it's gotten so much better that it's really well tolerated. The patients do really well."

Of course, you must also do your part at home.  Goodemote says self-exams once a month are a must. She says the more you do them, the more likely you are to notice something out of the ordinary. "A majority of our patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer actually felt a lump and that's what made them come in for presentation."
 
If you aren't sure how it's done, Goodemote says talk to your gynecologist, who should be giving you a clinical exam each yearly visit.