Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Just ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (starting today) mammogram rules by the FDA, which require providers to notify patients about breast density, took full effect last month.
Why does this matter? Dense breasts can elevate a person’s risk of breast cancer; however, a nationwide Cancer Risk Survey: Breast Cancer Edition by Myriad Genetics reveals that more than half of women (63%) are unaware of this connection. Additionally, dense breasts can make detecting cancer in a mammogram challenging.
As more women receive notifications under the new FDA mammogram rules that they do have dense breasts, they may be wondering: “now what?” Dr. Ifeyinwa Stitt, OB/GYN in Annapolis, MD suggests:
- Contact a healthcare provider for follow-up and risk assessment. Additional screening methods, like ultrasounds or MRIs, may be recommended together.
- Know your normal. A healthy breast isn’t the same for every person. When someone does a self-breast check, it’s important to know what their normal breast feels like and when changes arise.
- Start conversations with family members. With 5-10% of breast cancer cases believed to be hereditary, knowing family history (like changes in the breast, diagnosis, etc.) can be important.
- Ask a healthcare provider about genetic testing. Genetic testing can reveal if a patient is at an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Regular screenings and genetic testing can help inform life-changing recommendations in patient care as it did for Ashley Dedmon! A mammogram told Ashley, who has a family history of breast cancer, she has dense breasts. Ashley also took the MyRisk Hereditary Cancer Test and confirmed she carries the BRCA2 mutation. This information helped guide Ashley’s breast cancer care, like opting for a preventative double mastectomy, seeing a high-risk oncologist gynecologist, and receiving more regular screenings.
