Hi, I’m Dr. Roberta Strigel and I’m a UW Health radiologist,
a physician who- specializes in reading images such as X-rays and MRIs.
I want to help you better understand how we screen women who are at average risk for developing breast cancer.
The best tool we have today for screening is called a mammogram.
A mammogram is a special type of X-Ray that images the breast using a very small amount of radiation.
So small there are no long-term side effects.
The purpose of getting a mammogram is to see if there is any sign of breast cancer.
Our goal is to find cancers as early as possible.
This gives women the most options for treatment and decreases the chance of dying from breast cancer.
A screening mammogram is often part of a well woman check-up.
Women at average risk of developing breast cancer may start screening mammograms at age 40.
You and your doctor can determine when to start and how often you need to be screened.
When you arrive for your mammogram appointment a female technologist will take you to a changing room, where you will change into a special gown.
Next the technologist will take you to the mammography room,
where the technologist will position each breast separately and take mammogram images of each breast.
The technologist is specially trained to take these images.
While the images are being taken, the mammography machine puts pressure on the breast to spread out the breast tissue.
This is called compression.
The amount of compression used is only what is needed to get the best possible images.
The compression lasts about 10 seconds, but some women find this pressure uncomfortable.
For these women we recommend taking over-the-counter pain relievers before the mammogram
and scheduling the mammogram for the week following the end of their menstrual cycle if they are still having periods.
When the technologist is done she will send the images to our radiologists for evaluation.
At the UW Health Breast Center our radiologists specialize in viewing breast images.
They will review your mammogram. You will receive your results in a few days,
either by mail, through MyChart, the UW Health online patient portal, or by phone.
You may be told you need to come back for more mammogram images, called a diagnostic mammogram and sometimes a breast ultrasound.
This is an opportunity for a radiologist to take a closer look at certain parts of your breast tissue.
Most people who need additional images do not have cancer,
but it's important to follow up on everything the radiologist sees to ensure that if a developing cancer is present it is found early.
At UW Health we use a new, more advanced type of mammography called Digital Breast Tomosynthesis or DBT.
It's also sometimes referred to as 3D mammography.
With DBT, your experience is the same as a standard mammogram.
We use the same machine, it takes the same amount of time and uses the same amount of low-dose radiation.
DBT technology takes low dose images at different angles, which helps the radiologist by reducing overlapping breast tissue.
This makes it less likely for a woman to be called back after a screening mammogram to have additional images taken
and radiologists are more likely to see a cancer if one is present.
UW Health has digital breast tomosynthesis capabilities at all eight of our locations around Dane County.
Following your mammogram, you may be told you have dense breast tissue.
Dense breast tissue is a normal finding and it is very common. It can be found in half of all women.
Dense breasts have more glandular tissue, which appears white on a mammogram.
Dense breast tissue can make it slightly more difficult for a radiologist to read your mammogram.
At UW Health we offer digital breast tomosynthesis which may help the radiologist read your mammogram.
Regardless of breast size or density, a mammogram is still the best way to detect changes in your breast and find cancer as early as possible.
Screening mammography is recommended in all patients for the early detection of breast cancer.
Early detection can decrease the chance of dying from breast cancer.
But patients who have mothers, sisters, aunts or other close family members with breast cancer may need additional testing.
Talk to your doctor about your risk level.
Women with a higher risk for breast cancer may be seen in our specialty clinic called PATHs clinic.
This stands for Prevention Assessment and Tailored Health Screening.
Providers in this clinic are trained to assess a patient’s risk for breast cancer
and to discuss options for screening and intervention based on the level of risk.
Thanks for taking the time to watch this video.
Please remember that screening mammography helps detect breast cancer early
and this decreases the risk of dying from breast cancer in all women.