Check Your Breasts!
Learn more about scheduling and the importance of your mammogram at Renown Health.
Breast Screening Recommendations
Renown Women's Health recommends the following breast exam guidelines:
- Age 18-39: Consult your primary care provider for a Formal Risk Assessment and start breast exams at age 25.
- Age 40+: Annual mammograms.
- Family History: Begin screening 10 years before your family member's diagnosis age. For example, start at age 35 if a family member was diagnosed at 45.
- Self-awareness: Be familiar with the look and feel of your breasts and report any changes to your care provider.
- Age 75+: Annual mammograms if life expectancy exceeds five to seven years.
Cancer Programs & Services
- Breast Health
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Breast Surgical Oncology
- Cancer Care
- Cancer Nurse Navigators
- Cancer Care Team
- Cancer Clinical Trials & Research
- Cancer Screening & Prevention
- Cancer Treatment
- Cancer Support
- Cancer Types & Diagnosis
- Cancer Resources
- Chemotherapy & Infusion Services
- Colon & Rectal Cancer Screening
- Gynecological Cancer Screening
- Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Medical Oncology
- Prostate Cancer Screening
- Radiation Therapy
- Surgical Oncology
Types of Breast Cancer Screening
Mammography plays a vital role in early breast cancer detection because it can show signs of cancer that are too small or subtle to feel.
The 3-D mammography technology at Renown Breast Health Center can detect 41% more cancers and reduces the number of false-positive results compared to other mammography.
Benefits of 3-D mammography:
- Better, clearer images
- It allows radiologists to see more abnormalities in the breast
- It helps doctors spot more cancers and avoid false positives, especially if you have dense breast tissue
The digital images can also be lightened, darkened and enlarged in real time, giving radiologists a better look at suspicious areas.
A whole breast ultrasound, also known as a sonogram, is a non-invasive procedure that uses sound waves (not radiation) to create images of the entire breast. It can be used as a screening tool or as a follow-up test after an abnormal finding on another imaging test. The exam only takes about 20 minutes.
We recommend these exams if your mammograms show dense breast tissue. Dense breast tissue and cancer both look white on a mammogram.
If your mammogram shows you have dense breasts (less fatty, more connective tissue), you may want to consider a whole breast ultrasound in addition to your mammogram.
Check with your insurance company to determine if whole breast ultrasounds are covered.
The BRCA gene test with the Healthy NV Project, is a blood test that determines if you have changes (mutations) in your DNA that increase the risk of breast cancer.
Why Choose Renown?
Should breast cancer be detected from your screening, your radiologist will present your case at our Breast Cancer Tumor Boards. This meeting gives the radiologist, cancer specialists, genetic specialists, nurse navigators, nurses, social workers and other providers the opportunity to review your case and develop a comprehensive treatment plan early in diagnosis. A registered oncology breast nurse navigator is available to serve as your ongoing resource from diagnosis through treatment and during survivorship.
The William N. Pennington Cancer Institute earned accreditation from National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). Alongside the Renown Breast Health Center, we have skilled medical professionals with a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer treatment and care, and the latest early detection technology to save lives.
Related Blogs
Early detection is a significant piece of the breast cancer puzzle. Susan Cox, Renown Health Director of Cancer Operations , discusses what you need to watch for and how the latest technology can help detect potential cancer sooner. When...
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the U.S. That’s why early detection is so important. Dr. George Krakora , a radiologist with Renown Institute for Cancer, explains what to watch for and how new technology can...
Women undergo multiple hormonal changes throughout their lives, leading to different physical and emotional experiences. Dr. Carilyn Hoffman, at Renown Women's Health , explains these confusing life stages and helps decode menopause....
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