Screening Mammographies

Did you know?

• According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women after skin cancer. About 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will get breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer can also occur in men; about 2,400 men are diagnosed each year.
• For the year 2023, the ACS estimates that in the U.S. 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, and that 43,700 women will die from this disease.
• The main factors influencing your risk of getting breast cancer include being female and getter older. Other risk factors include having certain genetic mutations and having a family or personal history of breast cancer.

Why should I care?

• A screening mammogram can help find this disease early when it is easier to treat.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the decline in cancer screenings has raised concerns of delayed diagnoses. According to modeling performed by the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that an additional 10,000 deaths from breast and colorectal cancer could occur over the next decade due to the impact of the pandemic on cancer screenings and treatment.
• Our data is showing that among Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries, screening mammograms in our national footprint declined 95% from January to April 2020. Thereafter, procedure volumes did increase but then exhibited some wide fluctuations as the COVID-19 period continued. As of October 2022, there were a total of 1,323,249 procedures performed that month.

What should I do?

• When to restart cancer screenings can depend on many factors. The ACS advises people to talk to their providers about the risks and benefits of being screened now or postponing for a later date, taking into account personal and family history, other risk factors, and the timing of the last screening test.
• The ACS and CDC websites also include important information about safety measures that healthcare facilities can take to reduce the risk of COVID transmission.