How to Beat Breast Cancer with a Gold Standard Test?
How to Beat Breast Cancer with a Gold Standard Test?
Dr. Smriti Hari, Professor, Dept. of Radiodiagnosis,
AIIMS, Delhi
Did you know that India’s # 1 women’s cancer is breast cancer?[1]. And sadly, a majority (71%) of these women discover it in late stages[2] by acting only when they feel a lump or some other symptom in their breasts.
By this time, the cancer has quietly grown for two to five years[3], making treatment difficult and worsening survival chances.
How can you beat breast cancer?
Early detection with regular Mammography screening is the best protection against breast cancer because no one can prevent it. Early detection dramatically improves the chances of complete cure, and disease-free survival- with 93% or higher survival rates in the first five years[4].
What is Mammography?
Mammography is a non-invasive, relatively inexpensive technique that takes high quality medical images of the breast tissue, using low-dose X-ray that is not harmful to you. Mammography helps Doctors to detect breast cancer at very early stage. Don’t forget that it’s a regular, yearly test. Not for only when there is a symptom.
Why is it a gold standard?
Reputed studies show a significant reduction in breast cancer deaths in those who underwent regular mammography[5]. An expert panel headed by University of California reviewed 18 different detection systems and concluded that mammography remains the gold standard[6] for early detection. Many Indian and world authorities such as Center for Disease Control (CDC) USA recommend Mammography[7] for regular screening.
How can you benefit from it?
If you are eligible for regular breast screening either by age (40 years and above), or due to high-risk factors such as family history (in which case before 40 years), ask your doctor about an annual Mammography plan – a simple ritual that can save your life!
Dr. Smriti Hari,
Professor, Dept. of Radiodiagnosis, AIIMS, Delhi
- Rangarajan B, Shet T, Wadasadawala T, et al. Breast cancer: An overview of published Indian data. South Asian J Cancer. 2016;5(3):86-92. doi:10.4103/2278-330X.187561 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27606288/
- Mathur P, Sathishkumar K, Chaturvedi M, Das P, Sudarshan KL, Santhappan S, Nallasamy V, John A, Narasimhan S, Roselind FS; ICMR-NCDIR-NCRP Investigator Group. Cancer Statistics, 2020: Report From National Cancer Registry Programme, India. JCO Glob Oncol. 2020 Jul;6:1063-1075. doi: 10.1200/GO.20.00122. PMID: 32673076; PMCID: PMC7392737. https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc7392737
- https://oregon.providence.org/forms-and-information/a/ask-an-expert-breast-cancer-growth-rate/
- https://www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org/early-detection
- Elmore, J. G., Armstrong, K., Lehman, C. D., & Fletcher, S. W. (2005). Screening for breast cancer. JAMA, 293(10), 1245–1256. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.10.1245
- https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/features/mammography-still-gold-standard-for-breast-cancer
- https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/screening.htm