Why Screening for Breast Cancer Is So Important

When October rolls around, you see a lot of pink — from players wearing pink shoes in the National Football League to people wearing pink ribbons. All of this pink marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and key to the awareness efforts is the importance of screening.

Breast cancer accounts for 30% of new female cancers each year in the United States, and in 2024, experts predict that there will be more than 310,000 new diagnoses of this serious and life-changing disease.

Our medical team here at LaSante Health Center is extensive. We house many different specialties under one roof, including gynecologic care. 

While we offer a wide range of services under women’s healthcare, we want to focus on breast cancer screening this month, especially since screening recommendations have been updated. Let’s take a look.

Staying a step ahead of breast cancer through screening

Anytime you can screen for a disease, it’s a step worth taking because you can intervene quickly, which may make all the difference — especially when it comes to a disease like cancer.

When we discuss screening for breast cancer, we’re largely referring to two things:

• A clinical breast examination, which takes just a few minutes for us to perform
• Imaging procedures, with mammograms doing most of the work

A mammography is a special X-ray of your breast tissues that allows us to check for any suspicious growths.

Mammograms are a good frontline screening tool, but some women have dense breast tissue that may hide anomalies. In these cases, we can turn to an MRI or ultrasound to get a more detailed look.

Whatever imaging we use, the goal is to get a good visual of your breast tissues to catch breast cancer in its earliest and more treatable stages.

When to start screening for breast cancer

The US Preventive Services Task Force has released new recommendations that call for all women to start screening in their 40s. 

These recommendations are for women of average risk for breast cancer (more about risk factors in a moment), and experts say that women should screen for breast cancer every other year between the ages of 40 and 74.

The recommendations refer to imaging studies, but we perform regular breast examinations for all women as part of our routine gynecologic exams.

Risk factors for breast cancer

When figuring out a good breast cancer screening schedule, it’s important to understand your risks. Common factors associated with a higher risk of breast cancer include:

• A history of breast cancer
• A family history of breast cancer
• An immediate member of the family with breast cancer
• A genetic mutation — the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations
• Previous radiation therapy to the chest

There are also uncommon syndromes or disorders that may place you at higher risk for breast cancer, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Cowden syndrome. 

The best way to figure out your risk is to sit down with one of our women’s health experts to review your medical and family history. If we find that your risks are higher, we will likely recommend earlier and more frequent screening.

The bottom line is that breast cancer screening saves lives, so devoting a quick hour to screening is one of the best ways to practice preventive health.

To stay one step ahead of breast cancer, we invite you to book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700.

We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.