October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine is celebrating by offering Saturday Digital Mammography Spa Days on Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Each year, more than 240,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed and approximately 40,000 women die from the disease or its complications.
“Women age 40 and older or have a family history of breast cancer are encouraged to receive an annual mammogram and physical exam from a physician,” said Scott Woomer, MD, chief breast radiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Grapevine. “Mammograms are one of the most widely available screening tools and are 80 to 90 percent effective in detecting early breast cancer.”
Mammography also helps to detect early breast cancer when there are no symptoms and the tumor is small and has not yet spread to other areas of the body. It can also show changes in the breast up to two years before they can be felt. Digital mammography can improve the ability to screen women who fall within certain categories. It benefits women under age 50, women who are premenopausal, as well as women who have delayed childbirth into their late 30s and early 40s. These women tend to have dense breast tissue, making it harder to spot early cancers.
“On a mammogram X-ray, very dense breast tissue appears as white areas, sometimes patchy and sometimes nodular,” said Dr. Woomer. “Breast cancers are also dense and can have a similar appearance, making it easier for the lesions to ‘hide’ or be obscured by normal dense breast tissue.”
The Breast Center at Baylor Grapevine offers comprehensive prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. Breast health services include:
For more information on breast health services offered at the Breast Center at Baylor Grapevine or to schedule an appointment to receive a mammogram, please call 817.329.2501. Screenings are offered at the Baylor Diagnostic Imaging Center in Grapevine and Baylor Medical Plaza in Keller.
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine is a full-service, fully-accredited not-for-profit hospital serving residents in more than 20 cities throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth region. Focused on being the best place to give and receive quality, safe and compassionate care, Baylor Grapevine works to lead the transformation of health care. The 233-bed hospital offers advanced medical services for cardiovascular services, women’s services, diagnostic imaging, neonatal intensive care, sleep disorders, intensive and emergency care.