Placentia-Linda Hospital is pleased to offer screening and diagnostic digital mammography services.
To schedule an appointment, please call (714) 961-5915 today so you can "Picture Yourself Healthy!"
What is Digital Mammography?
Patients may provide many reasons to put off having a mammogram. With our SeleniaTM digital mammography, we will offer a more comfortable experience with reduced examination times. We will also be able to provide results the same day, also reducing stress and anxiety.
That's why Placentia-Linda Hospital is committed to providing women with the highest quality of care possible and the demand for the digital mammography is high. That’s why we are pleased to announce the expansion of our Diagnostic Services to include SeleniaTM digital mammography from Hologic and the MultiCare PlatinumTM stereotactic breast biopsy system. Benefits include:
¨ Direct capture technology offers improved visibility of the breast, particularly near the skin line, the chest wall and in women with dense breast tissue.
¨ SeleniaTM uses an amorphous selenium, direct conversion detector. This technology produces incredibly sharp digital images by eliminating the image-degrading effects of light diffusion that can be found on other digital mammography systems.
¨ The system’s 24 x 29 cm field of view accommodates almost all breast sizes with a single exposure.
¨ Digital mammography can be viewed in seconds, allowing the mammographer to confirm proper positioning reducing the likelihood of having to come back for additional images.
Do I Need a Mammogram?
What is it?
Mammography is a low dose X-ray that is used to take images of the breasts. Doctors use it to help detect and diagnose breast disease in women. Mammography can find changes in the breast up to two years before you or your physician can feel them. This means that breast cancer may be found in an earlier, more treatable stage.
The American Cancer Society advises women 40 and older to have a mammogram performed annually since the risk of breast cancer increases as a woman gets older. If you have a family history of breast cancer, your doctor may advise that you start having mammograms at an earlier age.
How do I prepare?
The best time to schedule your mammogram is for the week following your period. This is because your period may cause your breasts to be more sensitive and tender than usual.
If there’s a possibility that you are pregnant your doctor or the technologist must be informed prior to the test being conducted.
Other preparations that you should make are:
- Do not wear deodorant, powder or lotion under your arms or on your breasts. They can appear on your mammogram as calcium spots.
- Tell your doctor and the technologist of any breast symptoms or problems that you have been experiencing.
- If you had any mammograms at other facilities, bring copies of the films with you so that the radiologist can compare the results.
You will be asked to remove all jewelry and clothing above the waist before the exam. A gown or loose fitting material that opens in the front will be provided.
How is the procedure performed?
You will stand in front of the X-ray machine, and the technologist will place your breast between two plastic/plexiglass plates. The plates press your breast as flat as possible for clear images to be taken. This compression will cause you to feel pressure on the breast. Let your technologist know if you are experiencing significant discomfort so the compression can be lessened.
Our technologist will position your body and arm in a way that will help the images come out as clear as possible. The technologist will then go behind a glass shield to take the images. You will be asked to change positions slightly between images.
A screening mammogram takes views of both breasts and usually takes about 30 minutes. You will be asked to wait while the technologist views the images to see if more are needed.
Cancer Facts
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1,500 people die each day in the U.S. from cancer. Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women. An estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer among women are forecast this year. Approximately 40,460 women will die from the disease.
What you should know about breast cancer:
- The two most significant risk factors for breast cancer are being female and getting older.
- While rare, younger women can develop breast cancer. However, fewer than 5% of all new incidences of breast cancer are diagnosed occur in women under age 40.
- A 20-year-old woman has a 1 in 1,985 chance of getting breast cancer; that increases to 1 in 68 by age 40. The odds of ever getting breast cancer during her lifetime is one in eight.
- Although breast cancer incidence is lower among African American women, they have a higher breast cancer death rate than Caucasian women.
- Asian American and Pacific Islander women have lower incidence and mortality rates for breast cancer than Caucasian women. However, for those born in the U.S., the breast cancer risk is similar to that of Caucasian women.
- Even though Hispanic/Latina women have lower breast cancer rates, their decline in the death rate has not fallen as much as Caucasian women, potentially because they are less likely to be screened and, therefore, diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer.
- Breast cancer incidence and mortality are lower for women in most Native American tribes than for Caucasians, however, the death rate has risen since 1970 most likely due to the lack of ready access to early detection.
- Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. In 2007, it is estimated 2,030 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 450 will die from it.
- While many women with breast cancer had no family history of the disease, a woman whose mother, sister or daughter had breast cancer is generally at increased risk.
- Many women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors outside of their gender.
- Breastfeeding may decrease a woman’s risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer.
- There is no way to absolutely prevent breast cancer, although the anti-estrogen drug tamoxifen may help reduce the risk.