Dr. Schilling on Screening for Breast Cancer

Kathy Schilling, MD, radiologist, Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, discusses screening methods for breast cancer.

The standard screening tool for breast cancer is mammography, Schilling says. A mammography can reduce a woman’s likelihood of dying from breast cancer by up to 36%. Women begin getting annual screens at age 40; this has been the standard procedure for 30 years, Schilling says.

However, Schilling adds that approximately 40,000 women die annually from breast cancer. There are subgroups of patients where mammography is not enough. Schilling mentions other screening tools such as ultrasounds and molecular breast imaging.

Schilling says these additional tests should be offered to patients. It is important for radiologists and mammographers to identify what a patient’s risk level is, in order to determine what her personal screening regimen should be.