October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. By now, it is my hope that everyone reading this already is aware, either because of advertising, seeing people wearing the nationally recognized symbol for breast cancer awareness, a pink ribbon, or you’ve seen NFL players bringing attention to the cause by wearing some form of pink during their October games.
The statistics tell the need for this awareness, as one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Because breast cancer is often detectable in its early stages when there is a good chance for a cure, screening is considered essential to early detection. Most significantly, mammography can identify tumors even before they can be felt.  Another positive statistic tells us that the five-year survival rate is nearly 99 percent when breast cancer is detected in the early stages.

The American Cancer Society recommends women have yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continue for as long as a woman is in good health. If a woman is at high risk for developing breast cancer, her doctor may recommend screening at a younger age, along with additional imaging studies. It is important that you talk with your doctor about your history and whether you should have other tests of start testing at an earlier age.

You may have heard mammograms being referred to as screening and diagnostic, and there is a difference. A conventional screening mammogram is a low-dose X-ray test that creates images of breast tissue doctors can check for lesions or other abnormalities. The x-ray images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt, and can find tiny deposits of calcium called microcalcifications that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

A mammogram used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease is called a diagnostic mammogram. Besides a lump, signs of breast cancer can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast, nipple discharge or a change in breast size or shape; however, these signs may also be signs of benign or non-cancerous breast conditions.

I am pleased our local hospital, Merit Health Natchez, offers digital mammography that is accredited by the American College of Radiology. With digital mammography, its benefits are a shorter exam time than traditional mammograms and less chance that patients will be called back for repeat exams. Digital images tend to provide doctors with better visibility of the breast, chest wall and dense breast tissue. Through computer-aided technology, radiologists are able to enhance certain areas of the digital images to get a more precise picture of a patient’s condition. The digital images can also be stored electronically and later retrieved to share with other doctors needed in the future.

It is important to note that no woman should have to go without a mammogram due to financial concerns. Through the Affordable Care Act, all marketplace health plans, as well as many private plans, cover breast cancer mammography screenings every one to two years for women over 40 without charging a copayment or coinsurance. Women are encouraged to contact the mammography facility or health insurance company for confirmation. In addition, Medicare pays for annual screening mammograms for all female Medicare beneficiaries age 40 or older.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Unites States. In 2012 (the most recent year numbers are available), 224,147 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer and 41,150 women died from the disease.

Breast cancer screening can save lives. Please urge your mother, sister, daughter, friend, co-worker and others you hold close to your heart to see their physician to inquire about their need for a mammogram.

Seeing pink is a great reminder of this importance, so wear your pink with pride!

Dr. Barbara E. Smith is a primary care physician at Merit Health Medical Group in Natchez.