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Reprinted with permission, Courtesy, Asbury Park Press, a Gannett Co. newspaper.
BY MICHAEL AMSEL
STAFF WRITER
Toms River, N.J. – There has been a slow, but steady decline in the number of women age 40 and older who get screening mammograms each year, according to a National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.
The decline in mammography coincides with a decline in breast cancer diagnoses, indicating that some early tumors are being missed, only to be diagnosed later, when the prognosis is less favorable.
At Community Medical Center's mammography suite in Toms River, physicians and radiologists are working to create more awareness of the need for screening by highlighting improved technology. Mammography films taken in the Nexus facility are processed through an ImageChecker Computer Aided Detection (CAD) system, which is designed to help radiologists in detecting mammographic abnormalities. |
Dr. Joseph Triolo, chairman of the radiology department at Community Medical Center in Toms River, checks a patient's breast X-ray for calcium deposits and masses.
The reported use of mammography by U.S. women 40 and older fell between 2000 and 2005, according to a National Health Interview Survey.
Possible explanations for the decline, the study shows, include an increase in the number of uninsured women, a lack of emphasis on mammography in health promotion campaigns and a decline in the number of places to get a mammogram.
The National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Preventive Health Services Task Force recommend that women 40 and older get screening mammograms every year or two.
For more information or to schedule an appointment for a screening mammogram at Community Medical Center, call (732) 557-2550. The Nexus facility is open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
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"The radiologist reads the film and then looks at the (computer-driven) pictures to make sure everything is OK with his read," said Maggie McVeigh, supervisor of mammography. "When the patient comes in to get additional film or an MRI or ultrasound, we usually give them the results right then. They get them pretty much on the spot."
Betsy Gerb, a mammography technologist at Community, said many times complacency sets in.
"Women come two, three years in a row and everything is OK, so they say, "I'm not having problems so I won't go, ' " Garb said. "Then, they come two, three years later and they have breast cancer. If it spreads, it is much more invasive. The sooner we find it, the better their chances are for survival."
Loida Coughlin of Toms River said she goes once a year to the Nexus facility for a checkup and feels extremely comfortable there.
"It is convenient, less stressful than a hospital and the service is a lot quicker," said Coughlin, 48. "I like how they explain everything to you. The technology is great and you get everything you need done in one place. I have had very good results there and I plan on going back once a year."
If the initial screening indicates a potential problem, a follow-up is done in the hospital. In the radiology lab, two female radiologists look for masses or calcium deposits.
"We digitize the images and the (R2 checker) computer pinpoints on an image where they think the radiologist should look more closely," said Mary Tesoriero, administrative director of Radiology Services at Community Medical Center. "If the R2 checker picks something up, it highlights a concern. This gives the radiologist a dual interpretation."
Dr. Joseph Triolo, chairman of the radiology department, said the computer system is like "a second set of eyes."
"But it is not perfect and it makes mistakes," explained Triolo. "The most important thing is to see how everything is doing year to year. History is very important in the evaluation. The machine may pick up some things, but it can't tell you how things have changed from year to year."
Date: August 7, 2007
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