7 Healthcast: Breast imaging

 

Every 3 minutes, a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer.

But experts say many women ignore warning signs or put off getting tested.

Dr. Robyn Birdwell, Brigham and Women's Hospital
"Denial is the enemy and we need to overcome that."

Dr. Robyn Birdwell of the breast imaging division at Brigham Women's Hospital says every woman needs to be proactive.

Dr. Robyn Birdwell, Brigham and Women's Hospital
"I think that one of the most important things for the vast majority of women is to be aware that they can affect and have an impact on their own health."

Barbara Ferreira is heeding the doctor's advice-

Barbara Ferreira, patient
"Now that I am 40 I will be coming every year to get my mammogram and will make sure that I get my breast exams as I am supposed to now that I am over 40"

Dr. Birdwell suggests regular screenings at 40, especially if there's a family history of the disease. But also understand your own medical history-

Dr. Robyn Birdwell, Brigham and Women's Hospital
"You look at your own personal history and things like your age of your first birth, age you started menses, all of these are important factors."

Thanks to modern technology, mammograms and breast imaging using MRI's are better than ever, giving women a fighting chance much earlier.

Dr. Robyn Birdwell, Brigham and Women's Hospital
"Our goal is to find the smallest cancers that we possibly can and our hope of course is to find no cancer at all."

And those hopes echo patients' sentiments as well.

Barbara Ferreira, patient
"It was a little discomfort, but the comfort of knowing that you don't have breast cancer is certainly better than the ten to fifteen minutes I spend in the exam room once a year, and I think I can do that"

Regular screenings and annual mammograms are recommended once a woman reaches the age of 40.

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