Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Doctor shares what women should know about early detection
BETHESDA, Md. - In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, FOX 5 is continuing to bring attention to the disease that has not only impacted some of our own colleagues and thousands of women and their families.
As part of the effort to raise awareness, FOX 5 Morning Saturday hosted Dr. Rachel Brem, a board-certified diagnostic radiologist and the founder of the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, which aims to increase women’s chances of finding early, curable breast cancer through education, access and advocacy.
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Dr. Brem talked about what women should know about getting screened for the disease, and what her foundation is doing to help.
FOX 5 asked Dr. Brem what questions women should be asking their doctors, and what tests they can get done to help with early detection of breast cancer.
"You should be asking about breast density. And I'm actually delighted that you brought that up because several years ago it would not have been front and center, and we know that mammography is wonderful," explained Dr. Brem. "We know that in women with dense breasts, it's kind of the perfect storm. Their risk of breast cancer is substantially higher, and the ability of mammography to find cancer is less. So we need additional screening like ultrasound or MRI to find these hidden cancers in dense breast tissue."
Following up on that point, we asked Dr. Brem what types of tests exist to find hidden cancers, and whether doctors are required to fill you in some of your risk factors.
"By law, 36 states and the District of Columbia, require women to be told what their breast density is, and I'm thrilled about the Brem Foundation that it was instrumental in implementing and writing the law that requires women not only to be told what their breast density is, but that insurance has to cover these additional critical tests to find these hidden cancers. And the reason it's super important just because these cancers are killer cancers, they’re invasive early cancers," said Dr. Brem.
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We also asked Dr. Brem what other tests and information women need to know about when it comes to catching breast cancer.
"Make sure you get your mammogram every year, starting at the age of 40," Dr. Brem explained. "There's a lot of noise about when to start, but one thing is clear, everybody at every association regardless of their recommendations, know that more women's lives will be saved if mammography begins at 40, and every year. And know your risk factors, know your family history. If you have a strong family history, you may need additional screening with MRI or things like that."
Dr. Brem also touched on the importance of women advocating for themselves to their doctors.
"If you feel something, and you're told you're too young to have breast cancer or that it's nothing, and you're not comfortable with that, seek out additional information. We hear all the time that women are too young to get breast cancer. We see sadly breast cancer in women in their late twenties and thirties. So advocate for yourself. It's critical and life-saving."
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Dr. Brem adds that breast cancer death rates have gone down 40 percent over the past 20 years, but there is still a lot of work left to do to defeat the disease.
To learn more about the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer click here,