Debate in the medical community about the value of yearly mammograms raises a big question for women. Should I get a mammogram once year? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to Jill Dietz, MD, breast surgeon at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, the answer is "Yes."
Dr. Dietz says every woman over age 40 should have a mammogram once a year.
"What we know about breast cancer is that checking ourselves once a month, doing yearly screening mammograms and getting a good clinical breast exam once a year we still can only pick up breast cancer when it''s non invasive or hasn''t traveled outside of the wall of the duct in 40 to 45 percent of patients," says Dr. Dietz. "So, we still need to do even better than we''re already doing and that''s with yearly mammography."
To raise awareness about mammography, the Siteman Cancer Center will offer a free educational event "Celebrating You" Friday, October 22 from 9 a.m.to12:30 p.m. at the Chase Park Plaza. Dr. Dietz will discuss the importance of breast screening after age 40 and Roberta Sengelmann, MD, chief of dermatologic surgery at Siteman, will discuss skin cancer screening after 40.
Ali Domar, PhD, will serve as keynote speaker. Dr. Domar is a pioneer in mind-body medicine and women''s health issues and is founder of the Mind/Body Center for Women''s Health in Boston. An occasional guest on "Oprah," her research focuses on the relationship between stress and different women''s health conditions, and creating innovative programs to help women decrease physical and psychological symptoms.
A recent report from the American Cancer Society found breast screening a good way to lower those physical symptoms. They found rising breast cancer incidence rates during the 1990s and they attribute that to increased mammography screening.
Dr. Dietz says increased media attention to the disease has helped spread the screening message, but a changing society has played a part as well. She says thirty years ago, people just didn''t talk about breast cancer.
"So if you had for example, an uncle who had colon cancer or skin cancer or lymphoma, that''s something that people would talk about," says Dr. Dietz. "But breast cancer is something that -- even to this day -- people will say, ''My grandmother had cancer I''m not sure, I think it might have been breast,'' and it''s because it''s something that families didn''t talk about," says Dr. Dietz.
Overall, Dr. Dietz feels women – especially Moms -- aren''t nearly as good at taking care of themselves as we are at taking care of other people.
"If we all to pick someone we care very much about – a sister, a good friend, a relative -- and put ourselves in charge of their breast care," says Dr. Dietz. "Then once a month we give them a call and remind them to do a self breast exam and once a year remind them to get their mammograms and by doing that we''re not only taking care of them, but we''re also reminding ourselves that these are basics that we can do."
For more information about "Celebrating You" or a breast cancer awareness kit, call the Siteman Cancer Center at 800-600-3606. The event is free, but registration is required.