Cheryl Martin (Host): Finding breast cancer early and
getting treatment can save your life. And here to talk about the best options
for detection and more is Dr. Irene Dansby, a diagnostic radiologist and the
Medical Director for the Community Memorial Breast Center.

Host: This is Wise and Well presented by Community
Memorial Healthcare. I'm Cheryl Martin. Dr. Dansby, so glad to have you with us
today. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Irene Dansby, MD: So, I'm a diagnostic radiologist. I
did my residency in Diagnostic Radiology at UC Irvine, and then completed two
fellowships, the first at Cedar Sinai for a body fellowship with nonvascular
intervention and my second fellowship was at Northwestern in Chicago, which was
a one-year year dedicated breast imaging fellowship.

Host: Great. So, you are the director of the center
there. How much of a concern is breast cancer for women these days?

Irene Dansby, MD: I think breast cancer remains a
significant concern. Just to throw out some statistics, it is the second most common
cancer in women in the US, just behind skin cancer. One in eight women will
develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Approximately 264,000 breast cancers
are diagnosed each year in the US and, unfortunately, 4,200 women will die of
breast cancer each year. And those statistics aren't meant to scare anybody,
but it is to underscore how prevalent of of a disease process this is. And that
we do have a lot of tools to help diagnose early and save lives.

Host: Now, there was a decline in screening during the
pandemic. So, how important is it for women to maintain a regular mammogram
schedule?

Irene Dansby, MD: I think it's essential that women get
screened every year with mammography, in addition to a good yearly breast exam
by their their physician. If you start screening at the age of 40 and do it
every single year, it's been shown to decrease mortality by up to 30% versus
women who don't get screened.

Host: So, this frequency of once a year should be for
all women, 40 and above?

Irene Dansby, MD: That's correct. And that's really for
further of average risk, no significant family history of breast cancer, no
history of radiation to the chest. If you fall into any of those categories
where, for instance, you had a mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer
before the age of 40, you would want to start screening mammograms 10 years
prior to her age of diagnosis. And that is something that you can discuss with
your doctor in case, you know, you're not clear on those guidelines. But in
general, for the majority of the population, starting at the age of 40 is
appropriate.

Host: So if screening and breast health efforts are not
maintained, what are the risks?

Irene Dansby, MD: We want to diagnose breast cancer when
it is the smallest possible that we can detect. so, The larger tumors grow, the
harder it is to treat, and there's a potential for spread to the lymph nodes
and the underarm. And if it continues to be left untreated, there's the
potential for the cancer to metastasize, more largely throughout the body, so
beyond those lymph nodes in the underarm. Once that happens, treatment becomes
much more extensive and more difficult. And some patients, unfortunately, may
become inoperable, so their only treatment choice is going to be chemotherapy.

Host: Wow. So, what else doctors should women do to
manage breast health and ensure that any disease is found early? Can anything
else be done?

Irene Dansby, MD: So I think the most important thing is
good open communication with your primary physician. it's important to have an
annual breast exam done, your primary care physician and the annual mammogram
really is the mainstay for early breast cancer detection. other things to
consider. For the appropriate patient populations would be things like breast,
m r i and, supplemental screening with. ultrasound.

So typically Ultrasound is used in the setting of patients with
dense breast tissue, and then breast m r i is used, inpatients that are
considered high risk for developing breast cancer in their lifetime. and that's
something that we could discuss further at the breast center with you or, it
can be discussed with your primary care physician or your ob gyn.

Host: if you've been designated with dense breasts,
should

you then have the MRI ultrasound every year as well?

Irene Dansby, MD: the ultrasound, is basically a
supplemental screening tool, So, we do recommend that. Every year for women
that have dense breast tissue, that

can either be done at the same time as your screening mammogram
or it can be done staggered six months from the screening mammogram.

And that way your tissue doesn't go more than six months
without being looked at in some way. and then if you do qualify as being high
risk for developing breast cancer in your lifetime, the breast MRI is sort of
treated the same way. We usually do stagger that one by six months from the
mammogram, but it's done yearly as well.

Host: Now I understand that community Memorial
Healthcare's Breast Center has been

recognized for its excellence.

Talk about that.

Irene Dansby, MD: So, the breast center at, the
Community Memorial Hospital is considered an American College of Radiology
Center of excellence.

for all of our modalities, meaning mammography and breast
ultrasound. the biopsy unit is included in that as well,

so It basically means that we are adhering to the highest
imaging standards. possible.

We submit cases every three years to the American College of
Radiology that then gets reviewed by an expert board at the acr and they
determine whether those images meet those quality standards and then they award
the center of Excellence. and thus far we have been given that award every time
we've submitted our cases.

Host: That's great. Now, Dr. Dansby, how should a woman
start if she needs to have a mammogram or she needs to get back on schedule?

Irene Dansby, MD: I think the best way,

 is to speak to your
doctor, and we would need an order obtained for the appropriate exam. So, for
instance, women that don't have any breast symptoms, they can come in for a
screening mammogram if there are any new breast symptoms such as, you know, a
lump pain in one area.

Nipple discharge, any rash on the skin, those kinds of things
would require a diagnostic mammogram And most likely a breast ultrasound. And
those orders can be obtained from your primary care doctor or an ob gyn. and
you can always contact the breast center directly at 8 0 5 9 4 8 5 0 9 3 to
schedule and we can always help, patients understand which exam is appropriate.
for them at that time.

Host: Dr. Irene Dansby, thanks so much for discussing
such a vital topic in women's health and stressing the importance of getting
regular mammograms because early detection saves lives. Thanks so much.

Irene Dansby, MD: You're welcome. Thank you for having
me. If you'd like more information, please visit mycmh.org/breastcenter. That's
mycmh.org/breastcenter. If you found this information helpful, please share it
with others, especially on your social media. And thanks for listening to Wise
and Well presented by Community Memorial Healthcare.