CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. a time when all things go pink and folks are urging loved ones to get screened and tested for breast cancer.
Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Each year more than 250,000 women get breast cancer, and 42,000 women die from the disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control, about 1 out of 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man. Which is why Radiology and Imaging urges everyone to start paying attention early.
Dr. David Saldana with Radiology and Imaging says, " A screening mammography starts at age 40 for women. But women should know the look and shape of their breast and that should start at age 20."
Dr. Saldana says, mothers and daughters should be having the conversation frequently. It's a topic that shouldn't start at the doctor's office but at home. And for men, the conversation is rarely discussed. Most male breast cancers are diagnosed when a man discovers a lump on his chest and often is already in their later stages of the disease
According to Dr. Saldana, " There is no real screening for men. We really try and emphasize the importance of high risk and low risk. Risk being what's their family history."
Symptoms of breast cancer in men are like those in women. The general rule for a man that is at high risk would be to get tested at age 35. And having a family member diagnosed with breast cancer puts a person as high risk.
Radiology and Imaging offers the latest technology called tomographic imaging. What that does is take multiple angled shots to give doctors a chance at finding something early.
Priced well into the six figures, this piece of state-of-the-art equipment gives doctors standard images and multiple images, allowing doctors the ability to scroll through the breast by layers, for better examining of any abnormalities. Radiology and Imaging offers not just screening mammograms but diagnostic mammograms , which can be seen in a matter of minutes.
Dr. Saldana says, "The earlier stage we can catch it the better prognosis for the patient whether you're a man or a woman."
The bottom line is, get your testing done and get educated. Knowledge is power and when it comes to breast cancer early detection could be the difference between life and death.
The ACS also predicts that about 2,620 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and about 520 will die from the disease.
