By Pam Ryerse, MLT, CCT | Oh my gosh – all the fuss about the new guidelines for breast screening with mammography! It is difficult to filter through all the information the government’s Task Force has put forth and the media has spun out of sight! Well, I am here to ask the question, what about the younger gals, ages 25-39? They are soooo under represented, yet approximately 12-14,000 young women get breast cancer every year! I am unable to find any recommendations for them from the ACS or Komen websites. And the Young Survival website says:
Breast cancer accounts for 26% of all cancer in females 15-39 years of age and 39% of all cancer in 35-39 year olds. And breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women ages 15-54.
Young women’s cancers are generally more aggressive and result in lower survival rates.
There is no effective breast cancer screening tool for women 40 and under.
However, there is another early detection screening tool available: clinical thermography, a safe, private, accurate health screening. Taking the squish out of breast screening, it is perfect for the younger, denser breast tissue and can find breast cancers and pre-cancerous tissues long before they can be detected by mammograms! Approved by the FDA in 1982, it is completely painless, non-invasive, compression-free and radiation-free! Studies have questioned the safety of cumulative exposures to radiation. This is not the case with thermography: being radiation-free, frequent screenings are safe. Thermography uses high tech infrared scanners and sophisticated computer programs to image the physiology in the body. It is complementary to the structural imaging we are familiar with- mammography and ultrasound.
As stated in the October 2008 issue of the American Journal of Surgery, a study concluded: “Thermography has resurfaced in this era of modernized computer technology. DITI is a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound, especially in women with dense breast parenchyma.”
So I plan to empower young women- and women of all ages- to take good care of their breasts. Besides wearing a good-fitting bra and performing a daily breast massage, I encourage them to get screening with clinical thermography. Guidelines indicate that young women should get a baseline established around 25 years of age then continue with screening every few years. Early detection saves lives, right? Makes sense to me. While we continue to debate the findings of the government’s Task Force on breast screening, please let’s consider the age group that is being ignored.
Submitted by: Pam Ryerse, MLT, CCT founder of Radiant Health Imaging, with offices in Fairfield, Des Moines, Omaha, Lacrosse. Screening available in Coralville first Wednesday of each month. www.radianthealthimaging.com, ph: 866-240-9659.