At St. Claire HealthCare Breast Cancer Awareness is About More Than Just A Month
Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Getting regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. “I follow the American Society of Breast Surgeons recommendation for screening mammograms,” says Katrina Kolasa, MD, board certified general surgeon. “I recommend all women get yearly screening mammograms starting at age 40. There is an extremely high rate of breast cancer in Kentucky. According to the American Cancer Society, 3,670 Kentuckians have already been diagnosed with breast cancer so far in 2019, and it was the second leading cause of death from 2012-2016 in Kentucky behind lung cancer.”
On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes in the United States.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Women should know that there are different symptoms of breast cancer, and some people have no symptoms at all. “If you have any signs that worry you, see your healthcare provider right away,” says Dr. Kolasa.
Symptoms can include—
- Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
- Pain in any area of the breast.
- Nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood).
- A new lump in the breast or underarm.
St. Claire Women’s Imaging & Aesthetics offers some of the latest in digital mammogram technologies. St. Claire uses a computer-aided detection (CAD) system to improve the accuracy of mammogram readings. The CAD system performs over one billion calculations on every image which greatly reduces the number of false-negative readings.