Cancer still stands as one of the most dreaded and dangerous of medical conditions, and many varieties of it exist and may affect many different tissues or organs. The good news is that modern medicine, while it cannot truly prevent cancer, may take great steps toward diagnosing it early. Actually treating cancer is a later stage, and there are different options for that. Beforehand, modern Americans can and should have cancer screenings if they believe that they are at risk of developing cancer, and this is especially true of breast cancer. Affecting primarily women, including older women, breast cancer is a greatly harmful condition that is most effectively handled if diagnosed early in its development. Today’s 3d mammography screenings, 3d mammography technology, and even breast biopsy procedures can help modern women check for cancer and get it diagnosed early if it’s present. This can save many lives, and an older woman in particular is encouraged to get 3d mammography screenings done regularly at a local clinic. She may look online for these 3d mammography screenings clinics, or ask her doctor for a reference.

Women and Breast Cancer Risks

Cancer does not appear at total random. A number of factors may make a woman more or less likely to develop breast cancer, and women of these demographics are urged to get 3d mammography screenings earlier and more often. For example, being related to a woman who developed breast cancer roughly doubles a woman’s chances of developing it herself. Someone with a first-degree relative such as a mother, daughter, or sister may face higher chances of developing breast cancer as well. What is more, postmenopausal breast cancer risks are 1.5 times higher in women who are overweight, and twice as high as those who are obese, compared to leaner women. Why is this? One factor is that these women have higher estrogen levels (and thus higher breast cancer risks), since fat tissue is a postmenopausal woman’s primary source of estrogen. Conversely, women who are physically active and fit have lower chances of developing breast cancer, often 10-20% lower chances than women who are inactive or sedentary.

Getting a Mammogram or Biopsy Done

Women over the age of 40 are urged to find a clinic that offers such breast screenings, and get them done regularly. Some statistics are available to show how effective this can be. For one, speaking generally the risks of dying from breast cancer may be lowered 20-40% if mammography scans are done. What is more, women aged 60-69 are the most likely out of all age groups to avoid fatal breast cancer when mammography screening is done. Overall, a 2015 National Health Interview Survey showed that 50% of women aged 40 and up reported having a mammogram within the last year, and 64% reported having a mammogram done within the past two years. Such a scan allows doctors to get X-rays of the woman’s breast tissue and look for signs of cancer or other problems. And if something is found on such a scan, further testing may be needed.

A woman may undergo a breast biopsy if something unusual is found on her mammogram. This procedure involves the patient laying down, and her affected breast is numbed before an incision is made and a tissue sample is taken. The woman’s incision is sewn closed and bandaged, and it will recover over time. In the meantime, doctors and lab technicians will perform testing on the breast tissue sample, and such testing may result in a positive or negative diagnosis of breast cancer of a similar health issue. If the testing proves positive, then the patient will be informed of this, and she will have a number of options to pursue beyond that. It should be noted that a clinic that provides breast biopsies or mammograms itself does not offer cancer treatment. Rather, the doctors there may refer a patient with a positive cancer diagnosis to a different clinic or hospital that indeed offers breast cancer treatment.