October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Note: The following Live Well Polk column was submitted by Atrium Health Floyd, a sponsor of Polk Today content. This one was penned by Aimee Griffin, Vice President of Professional Services for Atrium Health Floyd.

A screening mammogram remains the best tool available in the early detection of breast cancer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends that at the age of 40, women should schedule a screening mammogram every year.

If you have been putting off getting one, now is the perfect time to schedule a mammogram. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and The Breast Center at Atrium Health Floyd is prepared to provide diagnostic care during this special month.

The center has earned the designation of a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology and Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence by the Consortium of Breast Centers.

Centers of Excellence are fully accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy. That means The Breast Center has achieved high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality insurance programs.​​

If time and travel and an issue for you, The Breast Center also operates a Mobile Mammography Coach that is equipped with state-of-the-art, digital mammography equipment that serves women in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.

Click on the following link to see a schedule for the Mobile Mammography Coach and how to make an appointment: https://bit.ly/3uViUwc

The Mobile Mammography Coach is outfitted with a state-of-the-art, digital mammography machine and staffed by clinicians who are specially trained in screening mammography. It offers a unique advantage for those who need a mammogram but want to minimize lost work time because of travel requirements.

The experience is similar to a physician appointment. Staff will perform your mammogram and examination in a ​private environment that’s so comfortable you may forget you’re on a customized travel coach.​​​

Women should also have an annual clinical breast exam. This hands-on exam performed by a trained provider will give you invaluable knowledge about your breasts.

And don’t stop when you turn 50. About 75 percent of all breast cancer cases occur after the age of 50, so it is important that you continue to be vigilant about your breast health.

At The Breast Center we can provide a full range of diagnostic services aimed at keeping you healthy:

  • Clinical Breast Exam – Our specially trained providers will conduct a physical breast exam by hand during your visit. It is recommended that women as young as age 20 should receive a clinical breast exam every one to three years.
  • Mammogram – This low dose X-ray can detect any changes in the breast. An annual visit to The Breast Center will include a screening or diagnostic mammogram. Screening mammograms are designed for women with no symptoms of breast disease. Diagnostic mammograms are for women who have symptoms of breast disease, have detected a change in their breast tissue that requires further study or who have a history of breast disease.
  • GeniusTM 3D Mammography –This provides detailed, layer-by-layer images of breast tissue, allow for better detection of breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue
  • Genetic Testing and Counseling – Women who meet certain criteria are encouraged to undergo genetic testing and counseling to find out if they carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer gene mutation.
  • Breast Ultrasound – This procedure uses high-energy sound waves to form a picture of body tissue called a sonogram or ultrasonography. A breast ultrasound procedure is used to provide more information about an abnormality.
  • Breast MRI – Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended for further evaluation of abnormalities detected by mammography and for finding early breast cancers not detected by other tests, especially in women at high risk for cancer and women with dense breast tissue.

We understand the apprehension and anxiety that can build when waiting for imaging or pathology results. That is why The Breast Center is committed to providing results in 24 hours, decreasing the stress that comes from waiting to hear from your provider.

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