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MICHIGAN WOMEN'S HEALTH
Specialized care for special patients. St. Joseph Mercy Oakland offers a wide range of services, from mammography scans to stroke care to OBGYN screening tests, dedicated to improving the health of women in Detroit and throughout Michigan.
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CLICK HERE FOR A FREE COPY
OF THE MEDICAL REPORT
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THE FACTS ABOUT Mammography
Background
Although annual mammograms have greatly aided in the earlydetection of breast cancer, this standard method of screeningoften produces inaccurate results – overlooking as many as onein five cancers.
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Podcast Posted: 08/10/2007
Duration:
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Enter digital mammography. Like conventional film mammography,digital mammography uses x-rays to produce images of breast tissue. However, with digital mammography, the x-ray image is converted into bits of information stored in a computer – rather than on film.
“Our hope is that digital mammography may one day become the standard method for detecting breast cancer,” says Amy Kirby, MD and SJMO breast surgeon. “Newer and better technology could allow digital mammography to produce more accurate results –meaning better cancer detection rates and fewer women called back for repeat screenings. We’ll be offering digital screenings at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in the summer.”
“Digital mammography detects masses at smaller sizes and earlier than traditional film mammography,” says Kirby, MD. “It allows the radiologist to have an instant image – the first time. And, because the x-ray image is digital, radiologists can zoom in to enlarge the image or adjust the contrast to look for suspicious growths.”Additionally, digital images can be stored and sent electronically –simplifying storage and making the information easier to access.While digital imaging is less expensive than processing images on film, digital equipment remains much more costly than x-ray film equipment.
Film Mammography vs. Digital Mammography. The question remains whether digital mammography has a better ability to detect cancer. Breast cancer is divided into two categories: calcifications and masses. Masses are more life threatening and also account for 70 percent of breast cancer cases. Digital can be better at detecting masses in younger women, or any woman with dense breasts. In most women over age fifty, film screening was equivalent to digital.
Early detection of breast cancer can mean survival. There is now a 95 percent five-year survival rate for breast cancer detected early.
Please call the SJMO physician referral line at 800.372.6094 to find an SJMO OB/GYN near you.
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