Breast cancer screening plays an important role in women’s health because the earlier it is caught, the better chance a woman has of surviving five years after being diagnosed.

“The goal of breast cancer screening is to find cancer early before it has a chance to grow, to spread, or to cause problems,” said Dr. Alyse Boswell, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Rush OB/GYN.

About one in eight, or nearly 13 percent, of U.S. women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some point during their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute. This year alone, more than 280,00 cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women.

More than 63% of cases are diagnosed early before the cancer has spread to surrounding lymph nodes, according to the NCI. When caught early, a woman’s five-year survival rate is 99%.

Early detection is a woman’s best chance of surviving breast cancer which is why screening is so important, Boswell said.

“Over the past several years, guidelines have changed so that we no longer recommend self-breast exams. They are not recommended for average-risk women because there is a risk of harm from false-positive testing,” she said. “Women of average risk should practice breast self-awareness and notify their provider when they notice a change.

“Breast self-awareness just means what your breasts normally look like and feel like on a day-to-day basis,” she explained. “If a woman is still having periods, what do they feel like after your periods because your cycle could change? Is there a change in the texture or the look of the breast? What is normal to your breasts day in and day out, so that when something feels off you are the first one to notice it.”

Changes to watch for include a new mass or lump, redness, pain, nipple discharge, thickening of the skin on the breast, or changes in the breast’s size or shape.

A woman’s healthcare provider will help determine her risk of developing breast cancer over her lifetime based on several factors including her age when she started her menstrual period or menopause, any personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer, her reproductive history, and any inherited changes to genes such as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. Women generally are placed in categories of average risk, moderate risk, or high-risk.

While a woman’s risk nearly doubles if she has a mother, sister, or daughter who has had breast cancer, about 85% of cases occur in women with no family history of the disease.

“Most women are going to fall in the average risk category,” Dr. Boswell said.

Women at average risk should get a mammogram every year beginning at age 40, she noted. They should continue to receive an annual mammogram up to age 75, when she and her provider can decide whether to continue past that age.

“The risk of breast cancer is so low after age 75 for most women who are average risk that they can discontinue having yearly mammograms,” she said.

Although breast cancer is most common in middle-aged and older women, men should also report anything abnormal around their breasts to their provider, Dr. Boswell noted.

About 2,650 cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men this year, or about 1 percent of all cases.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccination can impact when a woman should get her next mammogram.

“The mammogram should be scheduled either before the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or wait four to six weeks after the second dose, or third dose if it is applicable,” Dr. Boswell said.

The COVID-19 vaccine jump-starts the immune system, which can jump-start the lymphatic system. As a result, the underarm lymph nodes can swell and appear enlarged on mammograms and breast MRIs.

“We have heard of some swollen lymph nodes in the axilla and when breast cancer spreads that is the first place it goes is to the lymph nodes around the axilla, so that could certainly be a false positive sign of breast cancer when it is actually related to the vaccine,” Dr. Boswell said.

To avoid confusion and follow-up imaging or ultrasounds, health experts suggest mammograms be based on when the COVID-19 vaccinations were given.

“Over the past several years, guidelines have changed so that we no longer recommend self-breast exams. They are not recommended for average-risk women because there is a risk of harm from false-positive testing. Women of average risk should practice breast self-awareness and notify their provider when they notice a change.” Dr. Alyse Boswell, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Rush OB/GYN.

“The mammogram should be scheduled either before the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or wait four to six weeks after the second dose, or third dose if it is applicable.” Dr. Alyse Boswell, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Rush OB/GYN.