Not all mammograms are the same, and this guide to our UltimateMamm® will help you understand what you should know.
Although basic mammograms are the gold standard in detecting breast cancer, there are additional factors affecting whether your physician has the information needed to make decisions about your breast health. Let’s break down the elements step-by-step:
The mammogram: Created using low-dose x-rays to take images of a flattened breast, it allows a radiologist to spot potential areas of concern (often described as nodules). Many providers (including RMI) use digital imaging to speed up the exam, enhance and magnify the images, and transmit the images quickly between the radiologist and your physician.
The UltimateMamm, available only at RMI, provides significantly more information to your physician. It includes:
Breast Density: The thickness of your breast tissue is critical. Higher density breasts can obscure potentially cancerous nodules. If you have highly dense breast tissue, your physician may recommend additional testing such as a breast MRI.
Tyrer-Cuzick: This is a measure of your lifetime cancer risk based on a number of questions. You can use the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool to see your personal risk score.
HBOC: Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk takes into account family genetic history and your predisposition to breast cancer. It further determines if a BRCA (breast cancer) gene test is recommended.
While all these numerical factors may seem complex, RMI believes it is important to “know your numbers” in the same way you memorize your shoe size, telephone number, or other numbers important to your life. Knowing your density and Tyrer-Cuzick gives you more awareness of your risk for breast cancer.
Make a pledge this October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month) to know your numbers, conduct monthly breast self-exams, and report any changes to your physician. We’ll be ready to help you get some peace of mind with our UltimateMamm.
