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11/11/20, 6:27 PMScreening the key to breast cancer prevention, treatment | Community | newsoforange.com <br />Page 1 of 2https://www.newsoforange.com/community/article_b9a83da0-14b4-11eb-8e13-a3ed26349c17.html <br />https://www.newsoforange.com/community/article_b9a83da0-14b4-11eb-8e13-a3ed26349c17.html <br />FEATURED <br />Screening the key to breast cancer prevention, treatment <br />Dale Edwards/News of Orange <br />Oct 22, 2020 <br />Breast Cancer Awareness Month <br />Vecteezy.com <br />It’s not often that breast cancer is overshadowed by another health crisis, but such is life in <br />pandemic times. But what should never take a backseat where breast cancer is concerned is the <br />importance of screening and prevention. <br />“Screening for breast cancer is really important because, while it is quite common and can be <br />deadly, when caught early it is much more treatable and less deadly,” said Christy Bridges, a <br />physician’s assistant with the Orange County Health Department in Hillsborough. “The idea for doing <br />a screening is your looking at someone who doesn’t have any symptoms and looking for a concern <br />or a problem. Because you would only screen if you could do something about it. Breast cancer is a <br />cancer we can do something about by screening.” <br />The most-commonly used tool for breast cancer screening is the mammogram. It is recommend <br />women of average risk for breast cancer start discussing screening with their care provider at age <br />40. Between ages 40 and 50 there’s not a strong base of evidence showing any real bene!t in <br />undergoing a mammogram. After reaching age 50 the evidence is more clear that breast cancer <br />screening with mammogram is e"ective. The recommendation of screening every two years with a <br />mammogram starts at age 50. <br />Health care providers will order a mammogram for a patient. Many health care facilities, like UNC <br />Healthcare, do mammogram screenings at multiple locations. The patient goes in for the <br />mammogram and is given the results through a letter, or if there is a determination that additional <br />follow up is needed, then that can be done either at the time of the screening or at a follow up <br />appointment.