WMC Offers Reduced-Rate Mammograms During October in Observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and one way that Wrangell Medical Center encourages women to focus on this important healthcare issue is by offering reduced rate mammograms. Local women can save $254 dollars, more than 45%, off the regular price of a mammogram at WMC during the month of October.
Ann Kramer, head of the Imaging Department at WMC, describes the mammography process, “Women age 40 and older may self-request a screening mammogram by calling the WMC Imaging department at 874-7128 to set up an appointment. Then, at the given time, check in with the receptionist at the medical center’s front desk and one of the imaging staff will bring you back to the mammography area.” Kramer adds that the actual screening takes less than 10 minutes, but plan on 20 minutes to half an hour for the whole process. She stresses that reduced-rate mammograms are for screenings only, “if you have unusual lumps and bumps or any pain in the breast, then it is important to speak with a physician about getting a diagnostic mammogram.” |
Ann Kramer, Director of Imaging at WMC, explains how a digital mammogram is taken, how the image gets to the doctor who will 'read' the image, and how your doctor will get the results of the reading.
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“We will need the name of the clinician that you wish to have the mammogram results sent to,” says Kramer, “If your most recent mammogram was performed at another facility than WMC, we will need to send for those films and reports before scheduling you. Also, please don’t wear deodorant or heavy lotions – they may give a false reading.”
Just as photos from different cameras make the same landscape look different, so too there are differences between mammography. For example, the equipment used by Wrangell Medical Center is a General Electric Senographe 2000D Full Field Digital Unit which will have a different resolution and picture quality than a unit which uses film. “Folks sometimes think it is better to get mammograms from different places from one year to the next, but what is essential to the person reading the mammogram is to have prior mammogram studies for comparison,” says Kramer, “The radiologist is then comparing apples to apples when looking for differences between one year and the next.”
“You will receive a copy of your mammogram report with a cover letter within two weeks,” adds Kramer.
For women still wondering what the actual process looks like, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website (www.cancer.gov) helps answer a few delicate questions about mammography:
What Is a Mammogram? A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast. A mammogram along with a breast exam by your doctor or nurse can find breast cancer at an early stage when it can best be treated. A mammogram does not cause cancer. Because the amount of radiation used is very low, the risk of any harm is extremely small.
What happens during a mammogram? A mammogram is a simple test. When you go for a mammogram, the technician taking the picture will place your breast between two X-ray panels. The panels will push your breast between them to get a clear picture. You may feel a little bit of discomfort but each X-ray takes less than 1 minute.
The importance of early detection cannot be overstated. A table from the NCI website showing a women’s chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer at any given age concludes that one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life. The website goes on to add, “early detection of breast cancer with screening mammography means that treatment can be started earlier in the course of the disease, possibly before it has spread. Results from randomized clinical trials and other studies show that screening mammography can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women ages 40 to 74, especially for those over age 50.”
In an interview with America On Line, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker (sister of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s namesake) challenges women to “Take action by doing something unusual -- by putting yourself first. It's time to do more than think and talk; it's time to act by getting screened. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a perfect time to connect with the important women in your life and support one another in this mission. We challenge you to challenge each other to get screened -- to commit to getting a mammogram.”
Just as photos from different cameras make the same landscape look different, so too there are differences between mammography. For example, the equipment used by Wrangell Medical Center is a General Electric Senographe 2000D Full Field Digital Unit which will have a different resolution and picture quality than a unit which uses film. “Folks sometimes think it is better to get mammograms from different places from one year to the next, but what is essential to the person reading the mammogram is to have prior mammogram studies for comparison,” says Kramer, “The radiologist is then comparing apples to apples when looking for differences between one year and the next.”
“You will receive a copy of your mammogram report with a cover letter within two weeks,” adds Kramer.
For women still wondering what the actual process looks like, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website (www.cancer.gov) helps answer a few delicate questions about mammography:
What Is a Mammogram? A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast. A mammogram along with a breast exam by your doctor or nurse can find breast cancer at an early stage when it can best be treated. A mammogram does not cause cancer. Because the amount of radiation used is very low, the risk of any harm is extremely small.
What happens during a mammogram? A mammogram is a simple test. When you go for a mammogram, the technician taking the picture will place your breast between two X-ray panels. The panels will push your breast between them to get a clear picture. You may feel a little bit of discomfort but each X-ray takes less than 1 minute.
The importance of early detection cannot be overstated. A table from the NCI website showing a women’s chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer at any given age concludes that one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life. The website goes on to add, “early detection of breast cancer with screening mammography means that treatment can be started earlier in the course of the disease, possibly before it has spread. Results from randomized clinical trials and other studies show that screening mammography can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer among women ages 40 to 74, especially for those over age 50.”
In an interview with America On Line, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker (sister of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s namesake) challenges women to “Take action by doing something unusual -- by putting yourself first. It's time to do more than think and talk; it's time to act by getting screened. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a perfect time to connect with the important women in your life and support one another in this mission. We challenge you to challenge each other to get screened -- to commit to getting a mammogram.”
