Screening & Testing

Early detection is one of the best ways to combat cancer. Catching cancer in its earliest stages gives you the best chances of successfully treating it. Mammography exams may detect breast cancer at an early stage. According to the American Cancer Society's Early Detection Website , numerous studies show that early detection saves lives and increases treatment options. With 80%-90% accuracy rate, mammography is extremely accurate, but still not perfect.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health. Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a periodic (regular) health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year.

• Screening Mammogram
• Diagnostic Mammogram
• Ultrasound
• Stereotactic Biopsy
• Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy
• Bone Densitometry
• Needle (Wire) Localilzation Biopsy
• Breast MRI

Screening Mammogram

A screening mammogram should be part of your preventive health care plan.

We follow the American Cancer Society’s guideline by recommending that all women age 40 and older have a mammogram once a year with continued annual mammograms as long as they are healthy. Screening mammogram (or screening mammography) is the term used for the type of images that are taken of your breasts when you have no breast complaints or symptoms.

You will have access to the best screening and diagnostic breast cancer tools available via our digital mammography technology.
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Diagnostic Mammogram

If there is an abnormality on your screening mammogram or your referring physician notices a breast abnormality during your breast exam, we will order further diagnostic testing. Once your images have been reviewed, we will work very closely with you to help you understand your breast health status and help you to select the next steps to take for further testing, treatment, or surveillance.

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Ultrasound

This high-frequency sound wave procedure determines whether a breast lump is solid or filled with fluid, as a fluid filled lesion is usually less worrisome. Painless and radiation-free, this process is one of the best ways to determine if a lump may be a cyst (fluid filled lesion).

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Stereotactic Biopsy

If we see a mass or an area of calcification on your mammogram which cannot be felt or seen on an ultrasound, the next step would be for you to have a stereotactic biopsy. Guided by digital images from your ultrasound and mammogram, our specialist inserts a thin biopsy needle to the suspected area and takes a tissue sample. A dedicated breast pathologist then evaluates the tissue.
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Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy

In some cases, our dedicated breast radiologists use ultrasound-guided biopsy, placing an ultrasound probe over the site of the breast lump to guide the biopsy needle directly into the mass. This allows the radiologist to remove a small amount of tissue using a vacuum device for examination by a dedicated breast pathologist.

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Bone Densitometry

Talk to you referring physician to see if you should consider doing a bone density scan— also called densitometry or DXA scan. This test determines whether you have osteoporosis or are at risk for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become fragile and become more likely to break.

The bone density test uses X-rays to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone. If your health care provider considers you to be at risk for osteoporosis, you can schedule a bone density test individually or at the same time as your screening mammogram.

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Needle (Wire) Localilzation Biopsy

There are two steps to this procedure that are done on the same day as an out-patient. Prior to excisional biopsy or lumpectormy, the radiologist frequently performs procedures that allow surgeons to take out the appropriate volume of breast tissues.

Step 1 will take place at the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center. Your breast will be positioned for a mammogram or ultrasound with the suspicious area as the focus. The radiologist will numb your breast with a local anesthetic. The radiologist will then insert one or more needles that has been threaded with a small wire and dye to mark the suspicious area. A mammogram or ultrasound will be done to make sure the wires are accurately placed. The wire is then secured in place.

Step 2 of the procedure will take place in Same Day Surgery. The abnormality seen on the mammogram or ultrasounds is surgically removed under anesthesia. Once the specimen is excised, it is examined by the radiologist prior to the conclusion of surgery with an X-ray to confirm that the suspicious area seen on the mammogram has been removed. The radiologist and the surgeon will discuss the result. The surgeon will then give you your post operative instructions.

To make an appointment for a Needle Localized Biopsy, please call your surgeon.
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Breast MRI

One of the methods we use to measure the extent of breast cancer after diagnosis, as well as the response to treatment, is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This exam involves injecting a medication called gadolinium into the bloodstream, which helps us identify and observe the lesions in the breast. This exam produces hundreds of images of the breast which are reviewed by a radiologist. MRI may be recommended as part of a surveillance program for women who are known carriers of breast cancer genetic mutations.

To make an appointment for a Breast MRI, please speak to your physician.

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