In 2009, The American Cancer Society estimated that 15 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths in women that year would be from breast cancer. This is after a decade-long decline in the risk of women dying after a breast cancer diagnosis. We can attribute approximately two-thirds of this improvement in survival numbers to the earlier diagnosis made possible by yearly mammograms.
A mammogram can detect breast cancer cells before they become large enough to feel. When breast cancer is found early, the outcomes are better in part because more treatment options are available. Mammography as a public screening tool has been a great success, but there are some worrisome trends.
Also in 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study indicating that between 2000-2006, the number of women getting mammograms dropped in 34 states by approximately 5 percent. With economics as a pressing concern, the numbers of women getting their annual mammogram are sure to have decreased even more. It is true that breast cancer death rates have gone down since mammograms became a routine test for people with breasts–especially those over 40. But it can be noted that approximately 35 percent of women in the United States have not had a mammogram within the past two years.
It bears noting that a mammogram at BMH’s Comprehensive Breast Care Program can be scheduled almost immediately by calling 802-251-8451.
There is another concern with the mammogram rates dropping. After increasing for more than two decades, the incidence of breast cancer decreased by about 2 percent per year from 1999 to 2006. A two percent drop means about 15,000 deaths were avoided in 2009 alone! The reason for this drop is felt to be at least partly due to a reduction in the use of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause following the publication of the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002.
However, another more ominous contribution to the drop may be due to less women getting mammograms. Mammograms will often discover breast cancer many years earlier than we are able to feel it. If a large number of women stop getting mammograms, it will look like the incidence of the disease is dropping. In reality, we are just delaying the diagnoses.
As time goes by, not only will the number of breast cancers rise, but these will be larger, more advanced cancers that will be harder to cure and likely cost society a lot more money than any amount saved by not getting mammograms.
It is not unusual to hear of people putting off healthcare exams. But help is available, especially if finances are a concern. The Vermont Department of Public Health has a program called You First that’s designed to help anyone with breasts or a cervix get their yearly clinical breast exams, yearly mammograms, pap tests, screenings for cholesterol, and blood pressure checks.
For information about this program or other breast health questions, you can call Karen Grinold, RN-C, at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Comprehensive Breast Care Program: 802-251-8437.
To learn more about You First you can visit their website or call 800-508-2222.