Never in a million years did I
think I would ever put my boobs on show on the internet… but I just did, and
for a very good reason too…
Brought to you by
Nuffnang and Genius 3D Mammography
I honestly
don’t think there would be many of us in this world who could say that they
have not been touched by breast cancer. Whether it is that you have had it or that you are facing it right now, you are supporting a friend or family
member through it or you tragically have lost a friend or loved one, it is going to touch us, ready or not!
My boys are
8, 11 and 14 and between the three of them alone, they have four friends who
have lost a mum, leaving eleven kids to face life without their mothers by
their side.
Four of
them!
That kills
me inside, it really does and it is obviously nothing compared to the tragedy
of lives lost to breast cancer every year around the world.
Breast
cancer is the most common cancer in women and it was estimated that 15,600
Australian women were diagnosed with it in 2015 and 1 in 8 Australian women will be diagnosed with it in their
lifetime.
They are
some eye opening facts people.
Research
shows that having a mother, or a sister or a daughter with breast cancer will
double a woman’s risk, but please PLEASE don’t let the fact that your mum or
sister has never had it - allow you to become complacent because 9 in 10 of
women diagnosed with breast cancer DO NOT have a family history of it.
The good
news is that the five year survival rate for someone who has the cancer
discovered early, before it spreads to lymph nodes, is 96%.
That shouts
one thing to me…
EARLY
DETECTION is VITAL.
Better yet… the
technology exists and is readily available to us.
Last week I met with Dr Peter Hunter
at HealthcareImaging Services, a radiology
Clinic in Campsie to talk about the Genius 3D Mammography exam.
Traditionally, a 2D mammogram is
used for breast cancer screening, which in layman's terms - provides a flat
image of a woman’s breast which a Doctor can then use to look for any
abnormalities.
If there are any concerns, the
patient may be sent off for an ultrasound and possibly a biopsy…thus begins a
period of waiting for results, and anyone who has ever played that waiting game
knows that it is an experience that
can break even the toughest amongst us.
Whilst a 2D mammogram is
incredibly helpful in the detection of breast cancer… 3D technology is even better – especially for women at
high risk of breast cancer - as it allows your Doctor to view all of the
complexities of your breast tissue, layer by layer.
A Genius 3D mammogram works by
converting the digital images taken during your mammogram into a stack of very
thin slices to build a 3D image. The radiologist can scroll through the various
layers on screen and closely examine your breast tissue layer by layer.
This will allow the Doctor to get
a clearer view of anything suspicious or something that may be hidden by the
tissue above or below, something that may not be seen with a traditional 2D
mammogram.
False positives can be common with
typical breast screening.
From my
understanding, the younger we are the denser our breast tissue is (although
woman of a more mature age can certainly have dense breast tissue too). The
denseness means that our boobs have lot
of glandular tissue, but not much fatty tissue. A quick check of our breasts in
the shower where we find a lump, may have us racing off to the Doctor and
jumping aboard the train of testing and worrying, only to discover it was
nothing to worry about…. that’s if we are lucky of course.
Whilst I was
meeting with Dr Hunter I was shown the scans of a 45 year old woman who came in
for a 3D Mammography Exam after she had been to her Doctor concerned about some
lumpiness in her breast.
The
lumpiness she could feel turned out to be nothing more than dense breast
tissue, but the 3D technology did pick up cancer somewhere else in her breast…
somewhere she would never have been able to feel in a self exam and possibly
not in a 2D screening mammogram either.
Whilst I was
learning of this woman’s story, she was off having a lumpectomy done and
probably thanking the heavens for the fact that this technology exists.
The Genius 3D Mammography is NOT a
screening tool. It is used for diagnostics following a discovery of an
abnormality or for early detection for high risk patients and could also be
used for women who have tested positive for the BRCA gene.
It used to be recommended that women over
the age of 40 took themselves off for a routine mammogram screening, but now it
seems that they have moved that recommendation to age 50… earlier of course if
you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, have any breast changes,
signs or symptoms or women with very dense and lumpy breasts.
Regardless of age recommendations, many of
us are avoiding mammograms for various reasons and whilst I was visiting the
clinic, I wanted to fact find, debunk and devalue the top few excuses we women
use to put off having a mammogram.
1. Mammograms squash your boobs and they hurt.
Ok, yep…
they squash your boobs and it’s not exactly comfortable, but does it hurt? I
don't think so.
But how do I
know when I have never actually had a mammogram? Because you guys - I wanted to
feel what women actually go through and so I had my boobs squished by the
machine for the sake of research.
That’s
me. That’s my squished boob. You’re welcome!
It’s not exactly comfortable, but it didn’t hurt!
2. I don’t have time for a mammogram.
Really?
REALLY?
Surely
protecting the time you have is the
whole point of this exercise?! I’m sorry, but MAKE the time, especially when we
know that early detection is the key to
survival.
3. I’m worried about being exposed to radiation.
This is one
of the biggest misconceptions about this kind of technology... in actual fact,
it is a very low level of x-ray energy used in the 3D exam… just about the same
amount as a film screen mammogram gives off and the total dose is well with the
recommended guidelines.
4. I can’t afford this test.
There are
over 120 centers around Australia with the Genius 3D. It is worth ringing
around as some of the radiology clinics will bulk bill like Healthcare Imaging
does, and for those that don’t, a Medicare rebate may be available for high
risk or symptomatic patients those who require further diagnostic testing
following an abnormal screening.
5. I don’t need to be screened, I check my boobs myself.
I probably
fall into this category because I have naturally lumpy dense boobs and after a
few freak out sessions, I had my Doctor check them out and reassure me that for
now my particular lumps and bumps are normal.
Also, my
friend who passed away from breast cancer last year once made me feel her lumps
when she first found them and I don't have anything
that feels like that in my boobs.
WRONG WRONG
WRONG.
You can’t
always feel breast cancer, especially if it is forming in deeper tissue.
I certainly
don’t want to scare anyone, but remember; early detection could be what saves
your life.
If you would
like more information about the Genius 3D mammography exam, then please visit their website here.
Please check
your boobs, ladies. Use the gift of technology to protect yourself.
You are too precious to others to be NOT doing
this.
Have you ever had a mammogram?
