By Denise Barajas, MD, FACS, Medical Director, Center for Cancer Care and Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Griffin Health encourages all women to stay current with breast screening recommendations and to understand their personal breast cancer risk.
For most women at average risk, annual screening mammography beginning at age 40 is recommended. Screening plans should be discussed with a primary care physician so they can be individualized based on age, overall health, personal preferences, breast density, prior breast biopsies, and family history. It is also critical to report a new lump, skin or nipple change, nipple discharge, or persistent pain in a small, specific area promptly to a physician rather than waiting for the next breast cancer screening appointment.
Not all risks for breast cancer are the same. A detailed personal and family cancer history can identify patients who may benefit from hereditary cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling. A history of breast cancer at a young age, male breast cancer, multiple relatives with related cancers, or a known familial genetic mutation may require further evaluation.
Having individualized risk assessment helps determine whether a person may benefit from earlier or more intensive screening, including breast MRI in addition to mammography, as well as discussion of risk-reduction options. Griffin Health’s multidisciplinary team works with each patient to develop a screening and prevention plan tailored to their individual needs.
For more information about Griffin Health’s breast cancer screening services at the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness and its breast cancer risk assessment and genetic testing programs, visit www.grigffinhealth.org/breast.