Mamography Screening and Follow Up

Facts:

• Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of female cancer deaths in both the United States and New Mexico.
• 1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer over their lifetime if they live to 80 years of age.
• In the year 2000, there were 182,800 cases of and 40,800 deaths from breast cancer in the United States.
• In the year 1999, there were 1,000 cases of and 200 deaths from breast cancer in New Mexico.
• Risk factors associated with breast cancer include…
  • being female
  • increasing age
  • having a family history of breast cancer
  • non-parity or first pregnancy after age 30
• On average, a mammographic screening discovers breast cancer 1.7 years before a lump is detectable by breast exam.
• Breast cancer 5-year survival rate is 96% when it is detected at a local stage. This rate decreases to 21% when the cancer has metastasized.
• Yearly mammography screening can prevent 15-30% of breast cancer deaths in females 40 years old and older.
• The American Cancer Society (ACS), Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) recommend women 40 and over receive a mammographic screening every 1-2 years.

Goal:

• To increase the mammography screening rates of New Mexican women age 40 and up.

CPI Intervention:

• The CPI sponsored a continuing medical education videoconference on mammography for older women in June 2001.
• A mammography fact sheet, "Frequently Asked Questions on Breast Cancer Screening", for patients was developed and is available to download and distribute.

Resources:

• Breast Imaging and Reporting Data System (BI-RADS)
  • "BI-RADS and Interpretation of Mammography: What the Provider Needs to Know" by Michael N. Linver MD
  • Assessment Categories
  • Breast Mass Evaluation: Non-Palpable, Non-Calcified Algorithm
  • Microcalcification Evaluation Algorithm
• "Frequently Asked Questions on Breast Cancer Screening" by the CPI Mammography Intervention Workgroup
• Beads Poster - a poster for the exam room explaining the stages of breast cancer and the importance of early detection, self-examination, and mammography. You may request the poster from New Mexico Medical Review Association at 505-998-9753.
• The New Mexico Department of Health Breast & Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program - a program for low income, uninsured women (age 50+) to receive free mammograms and, if necessary, treatment. http://www.cancernm.org/bcc
• NM Tumor Registry for Statewide Cancer Data http://hsc.unm.edu/epiccpro/
• Cancer and mammography information from the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/info-bc.htm

Committee Chairs:

Lynn Bryant, MD and Michael Linver, MD

For further information, please contact Annie Jung at ajung@nmms.org or 505-828-0237.