Scientific breakthroughs, state-of-the-art technologies, and new treatments that can lead to cures form the cornerstone of modern medicine. But as beneficial and promising as these innovations are, there is nothing that compares with the power of prevention.
Preventive services such as breast ultrasound and mammogram offer two-fold benefits: they can help prevent illness and help to identify health problems early on. From screenings and tests to regular checkups and patient counseling, there are a variety of preventive services that are vital at each step in a person’s life span. One thing’s for sure: they all center around increased awareness to stay healthy and save lives.
Studies show that routine breast cancer screening may reduce breast cancer deaths by one third and 40 to 50 percent in some trials. Most women can survive breast cancer when it’s detected early enough, which is why awareness and education are so important.
Breast Ultrasound Fills In Where Mammography Falls Short
For decades, mammography has been the standard of care when it comes to the early detection of breast cancer, and it indeed saves many lives. However, there are some limitations to mammography, and one of those is breast density. The denser the breast tissue, the more difficult it is to see the cancer. That’s because the non-calcified breast cancer can be masked in dense breasts during a mammogram.
Put another way, dense tissue and cancer both appear white on a mammogram. With ultrasound, cancer appears black while dense tissue appears white, which makes cancers much easier to spot. This is why supplemental ultrasound imaging is more effective than utilizing mammograms alone for women with dense breasts.
To be clear, breast ultrasound should not replace mammograms entirely. They should be used in conjunction to provide a broader picture.
Breast Ultrasound and Mammography: Twin Tools to Save Lives
Both breast ultrasound and mammography are valuable tools in the detection of breast cancer. While breast ultrasound should not take the place of mammograms, it can be used as a complementary tool for women at high risk of breast cancer or women who have dense breasts.
The SonoCine Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (SonoCine AWBUS), a computer-guided ultrasound system, is a great and effective addition to a traditional mammogram. This tool provides many benefits in that it can provide greater visual detail of the breast tissue. This is especially helpful for women with dense breast tissue or implants.
FDA-cleared for all dense-breasted women, the SonoCine AWBUS exam offers coverage of the whole breast coverage – unlike other ultrasound exams – including the underarm, clavicle, in between the breasts, the sides of the breasts, and all the way back to the chest wall. This is why this technology is so effective at picking up on small cancers even before mammography can.
Earlier Breast Cancer Risk
More women under 40 are getting breast cancer, according to the American College of Radiology. In fact, one in six breast cancers happens in women in their 40s.
In addition, it’s important to note that cancers in young women are often more deadly, which is why it’s recommended to talk to your doctor about your individual breast cancer risk by age 25.
Ask your doctor if you need a mammogram before 40, and if you need other tests in conjunction with mammogram, such as MRI and breast ultrasound. Also ask if you are at a high risk and should be checked twice a year instead of once.
Mammography has helped reduce breast cancer deaths in the United States by almost 40 percent since 1990, and one study says regular mammography screening reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer almost in half.
Breast ultrasound also saves lives, as it can detect cancer earlier – especially in women with dense breasts or who have implants. According to BreastCancer.org, the cancer rate is six times greater in highly dense breasts than in less-dense breasts. As such, mammograms have a lowered ability to be able to detect cancer amidst such density.
When used together, mammography and ultrasound can detect more cancers in young women and in those with high-density breast tissue, helping to correctly identify cancer in more than 90 percent of cases. This is compared with mammography alone, identifying just 77 percent of cancers, says Science Daily.
Catching Breast Cancer Earlier
One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, says the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. However, when it’s caught in the earliest stages, the five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 99 percent.
Thanks to advancements in technology such as SonoCine Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (SonoCine AWBUS™), breast cancer can be caught earlier than ever before. This is a computer-guided ultrasound system that can be used as a complement to a traditional mammogram. Our system — AWBUS — utilizes a robotic process designed to capture thousands of high-resolution images in rows, which are then pieced together into a movie by powerful software that is readable by a radiologist.
This “movie” provides clearer visual detail of breast tissue, especially for women with dense breast tissue or implants, allowing radiologists to detect small invasive cancers earlier than would be possible on traditional mammograms.
Book Your Breast Ultrasound at the Sono Center Today
Here at the Sono Center, our whole focus is on preventive healthcare. Come sit with us to learn more about how SonoCine AWBUS can give you peace of mind and act as a life-saving complement to a regular mammogram. Please book your appointment online or call us at (626) 381-9430. We specialize in breast screening and the early detection of breast cancers that are most frequently missed with mammography.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.