Think Pink: Why Breast Imaging Is the First Step in Beating Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women aside from skin cancers, accounting for about a third of all cancer diagnoses. Like any cancer, breast cancer benefits from early detection and early treatment to prevent it from reaching a more serious and invasive stage.

While at-home breast exams can help detect changes in breast tissue, early breast cancer typically causes no noticeable symptoms. By the time you can feel or see a change in your breasts, there’s a very good chance the cancer has already progressed to a more advanced stage.

Regular mammograms play a key role in catching early-stage breast cancer, even before its symptoms become noticeable during regular breast exams. 

Here, our team at Invision Sally Jobe, a network of diagnostic imaging centers in the Denver metropolitan area, describes how breast cancer screening works and why it’s considered the first step in the fight against breast cancer and its complications.

The basics of breast imaging

Breast cancer screening exams use mammography, a special type of X-ray designed specifically for breast cancer diagnosis and management. When you arrive for your screening, we ask to remove your shirt and bra and put on a hospital gown that closes in the front. 

During your exam, you stand in front of the machine while the technician places your breast between two plates and then tightens the plates. As the pressure is applied between the two plates, your breast tissue flattens out, making it much easier to see abnormal tissue changes in your imaging results.

It’s true — mammograms can be uncomfortable. But it’s also true that they’re not nearly as uncomfortable as you may have been led to believe, and they’re also extremely quick, with a typical scan taking just a few moments for each breast.

Mammograms can also reveal if a woman has dense breast tissue, which makes it difficult to detect certain types of tissue changes. In these instances, we may recommend a follow-up mammogram or an ultrasound screening to obtain more detailed images of your breast tissue.

The critical role of regular screening

Most women know they should have regular mammograms, but still, many women hesitate when it comes to actually following through. Often, that hesitation is due to anxiety about the test or its results, along with a misunderstanding of their own risk of developing breast cancer.

Specifically, many women believe if they don’t have a family history of breast cancer, they won’t develop cancer, either — but that’s not the case. In fact, while family history can play a role in some types of breast cancer (like those associated with genetic mutations), most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.

One of the most important things to know about breast cancer is that it’s far easier to treat when found early. Breast cancer screening reveals even tiny abnormalities in breast tissue long before they cause noticeable symptoms, like lumps, skin puckering, or nipple discharge. 

When detected at an early stage, breast cancer can be treated using less invasive methods, offering faster recovery and significantly higher survival rates.

Take charge of your health

Regular breast screening exams typically take less than a half hour from start to finish, yet they can provide a lifetime of better health and peace of mind.  

To learn more about breast cancer screening or to schedule your own screening exam, call us at (720) 493-3700 to request an appointment at one of our locations in Aurora, Greenwood Village, Golden, Littleton, Lone Tree, Parker, or Denver, Colorado, today.