This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Rebecca Leddy about your mammogram report and breast density details. Dr. Leddy is a Professor of Radiology and Director of Breast Imaging at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The FDA requires mammography facilities to notify women about their breast density in their mammogram report. Doctor Rebecca Leddy is here to talk about the details. Doctor Leddy is a Professor of Radiology and Director of Breast Imaging at MUSC. Doctor Leddy, first, why is regular breast cancer screening so important?
Dr. Leddy: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. Detecting breast cancer early can save lives and decrease the severity of treatment. The only way to detect breast cancer at its earliest is through screening and screening mammography.
Conner: I understand when women now receive their mammogram results, they will be notified about their breast density. Explain what this means and why they're being informed about this factor.
Dr. Leddy: Breast density was by the government asked to be included in the Mammography Results Report for women starting in September of 2024. Breast density is the amount of tissue that a woman has that's more active glandular tissue. This shows up white on a mammogram and is only detected through a mammogram. So, half of women have breasts that are dense. And it's important to know that because while mammography is the most approved study for breast cancer detection, knowing you have dense breasts, it is also recommended to consider having additional screening with your mammography.
Conner: And what kind of supplemental screening might be needed, especially for a woman with dense breasts.
Dr. Leddy: A woman with dense breasts if they have a higher lifetime risk or strong family history of breast cancer, they should definitely be getting breast MRI in addition to mammography. Those with dense breasts who are average or intermediate risk could also consider getting breast MRI or additional screening with ultrasound.
Conner: And how effective is mammogram at finding early stage breast cancer in women?
Dr. Leddy: So, screening mammograms are the only imaging that has been found to reduce death from breast cancer. Dense breasts make it harder to detect cancer on mammograms, but not impossible. And certain cancers only show up on a mammogram.
Conner: And tell us about the recommendations for breast cancer screening.
Dr. Leddy: So, all women should undergo a risk assessment by age 25 to determine their lifetime risk of breast cancer. Those that are average risk so at less than 15% chance of breast cancer, they should start getting mammogram screenings at age 40 and get them every year. Those at higher risk. So, a higher lifetime risk of breast cancer may need to start screening earlier and have that every year, as well as additional studies like breast MRI.
Conner: If there is an area of concern on a mammogram. What kind of additional screening might be recommended, especially for those with dense breasts?
Dr. Leddy: So, if there's an area of an abnormality or some change that's seen on screening mammogram, it'll be recommended that a woman get what's called a diagnostic mammogram. So that's additional views to see if the area is of concern or not. It'll also likely mean getting an ultrasound if the area persists or continues on the mammogram.
Conner: Doctor Leddy, thanks for this update about breast cancer screening.
Dr. Leddy: Thank you for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
