Tag Archive: mammography

1. Why Are Dense Breasts Stigmatized?

   February 16, 2022 5:00 am Leave a Comment

   

   by Anthony Piana, DC, FPACT
   

   The mammogram industry has created a view towards dense breasts that is rather demeaning, as if having dense breasts is similar to a disease. The truth of the matter is, dense breasts are perfectly healthy and normal.

   The reason dense breasts have been stigmatized is because mammograms have a difficult time identifying tumors within higher density breasts. This could be caused by the breast being as dense as the tumor, making it hard to distinguish. A way of understanding this is if you were taking an X-Ray of an ice cube that was frozen in a slab of ice. This would cause it to appear no different than the rest of the surrounding area, because the density is the same.

   

   Standards for mammograms have been specifically created around this idea that dense breasts are a nuisance or disease. This is why a few years ago the age recommendation for a mammogram was increased to the age of 50, based on the idea that breast density lowers with age. Still, many women in their 50s have dense breasts.

   Another issue is that research studies related to the accuracy of mammograms have adjusted their research perimeters to not include women with dense breasts, despite them being over half of the population. The findings of the studies have shown greater results for mammogram screening, but ultimately they do not reflect well for the general population when identifying tumors.

   This isn’t to say that other tests are perfect, though. As an example, thermography has similar limitations when it comes to breast size, obesity, and breast implants. This is why it is important to discuss information with your clients, so they understand that a combination of tests provide the best results — especially when dealing with dense breasts.

   Breast Density and Cancer Risk

   by Kimberly Lavoie, ACNP-BC, CCRN, SCRN

   

   Medical literature is often misleading when describing the impact of breast density on cancer risk. Many studies illustrate the risk probability by comparing women in the 10% highest density category (extremely dense) with 10% in the lowest density category (almost entirely fatty breasts). Comparisons such as these are not statistically meaningful to the remaining 80% of women in the middle, nor should risk comparisons be related to such a small subset population.

   

   More on Dense Breasts

   
   Dense breast tissue is a common finding and is not abnormal. Statistics have shown that approximately 50% of women have dense or highly dense breasts.

   However, mammography imaging can make it difficult to detect cancer in women with breast densities. Consequently, mammography is less sensitive in women with dense breasts — that is, it is more likely to MISS cancer. This is precisely why Dense Breast Notification Laws have been implemented.

    

   

   False-negative mammograms result in about 1 in 8 missed cases of breast cancer whereas as false-positive findings can result in over-diagnosis. Over-diagnosing can lead to additional diagnostic testing, invasive procedures, and over-treatment.

   According to the American Cancer Society, about 50% of women getting annual mammograms will receive a false-positive finding over a 10-year period. The probability of false-positive findings is even higher when comparison imaging is not available. More than ever we need to continue to educate and help spread THERMOGRAPHIC AWARENESS !!!

    

   

   MORE examples of mammograms that were reported as “normal” and less than one week later, MRI reveals “CANCER”

   

   Has your state implemented Dense Breast Notification Laws?

   Currently, 38 states and the District of Columbia have enacted dense breast notification laws mandating radiologists to include language in their reports informing women of risks related to dense breasts. If you live in a state that does not have a dense breast notification laws, I encourage you to reach out to your local representative today and let your voice be heard.

   

2. A Game-Changing Ultrasound for Dense Breasts & Implants

   August 25, 2020 5:00 am Leave a Comment

   

   During my many years as a thermographer, I’ve learned that a great majority of women who seek out thermography have dense breasts. Many have had years of mammograms and/or biopsies with benign results, and all of them want to avoid radiation and compression.

   In fact, more than 40% of women have dense breast tissue.  If a woman relies on anatomical screenings of mammography and ultrasound, her chances of getting breast cancer are around 70%. For women with dense breasts and/or breast implants this has always been a problem, but this is still the standard of screening.

   The Disadvantages of Mammography for Dense Breast Tissue

   A mammogram uses radiation and finds a tumor after it has been in state of angioneogenesis, or producing heat as cells are replicating. So, mammograms find tumors after they have become large enough to be seen on anatomical studies (mammogram, ultrasound or MRI).

   This means that by the time a mammogram finds breast cancer, it has been in the stages of “cells on fire” for anywhere from 7 to 10 years. This is NOT prevention!

   Mammography is also a highly ineffective examination for women with dense breasts, with a sensitivity between 28% and 50%.

   Tumors are even harder to detect, because both a tumor and the connective tissue of dense breasts appear white on a mammogram. To find a tumor on a mammogram with dense breast tissue is like looking for a snowball in a snowstorm!

   Thermography is beneficial because it picks up a tumor as heat. This gives you time to make lifestyle changes and explore early intervention—before a tumor is big enough to appear on an anatomical study.

   In a 2008 study by The American Breast Surgeon Department of Surgery at the New York Presbyterian Hospital–Cornell, researchers concluded that thermography was highly beneficial for women with dense breast tissue.

   So why don’t doctors give us the option of thermography? They still recommend mammograms, despite them being an ineffective screening method for dense breasts and delivering more cumulative and potentially cancer-causing radiation.

   Adding the Power of AWBUS to Thermography

   Women with dense breasts who screen with thermography are recommended to follow up with an ultrasound. Thermography is an adjunct to an anatomical screening. While the ultrasound is not that effective for dense breasts, a new anatomical technology is now available to improve the detection of cancer in women with dense breasts and implants.

   AWBUS (Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound Screenings) is a supplementary ultrasound examination of both breasts that can find small cancers that mammography may miss. AWBUS can increase confidence in your diagnoses. When done in conjunction with a thermogram, it can find more cancers in women with dense breasts than by mammography or standard ultrasound alone.

   Watch this TEDx Talk with Dr. Kelly who explains:

   3D tomosynthesis is also recommended for women with a breast density grade of 2-3. 3D tomosynthesis improves the visualization of calcifications and small cancers that can be hidden by overlapping tissue. Yet it delivers 38% more ionizing radiation than a standard mammogram. Again, Ionizing radiation is the most dangerous radiation. Radiation is cumulative and can be a risk factor for creating cancer.

   The combination of AWBUS and thermography are environmentally safe, radiation free and provide early detection. This makes it a game changer in breast screening technology. AWBUS is most advantageous for women with a breast density grade of 3-4.

   Contact me if you have any questions.

   Please share this information with your women friends!

   Note: At this time, there is no guarantee that your insurance company will cover an Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound. I recommend you contact your insurance company to find out if you are covered under your specific program.