Did COVID-19 Postpone Your Mammogram? IF YOU CANCELED YOUR MAMMOGRAM DURING THE PANDEMIC MAKE SURE YOU GET BACK ON TRACK NOW
In March 2020, screening mammograms practically stopped altogether. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities stopped performing these types of elective procedures. Over time, though, as we learned more about COVID-19 and how to protect ourselves, mammography centers began to reopen, and I recommended that my patients move ahead with their appointments. But many women were still reluctant to reschedule their mammograms. If you’re one of them, you might be worried that your risk of contracting COVID-19 is higher—and more dangerous—than your risk of breast cancer.
Mammograms are as crucial for you as ever
Now that we know more about how to protect ourselves from COVID-19 infection, it’s essential to get back on track with screening mammograms. That’s because identifying breast cancer early gives you the best odds of beating it. If you have breast cancer, finding it quickly reduces the time it can grow and spread. That could mean you can be treated with simpler, less invasive methods. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network reported that the pandemic likely led to 3.9 million missed breast cancer screenings in the United States. And research published in Breastcancer.org estimates that delays in mammograms from the pandemic could lead to an additional 5,000 deaths from breast cancer.
BY VALERIE GORMAN, MD, BREAST SURGEON AT BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE TEXAS SURGICAL SPECIALISTS
Here are ways to help protect yourself from COVID-19 when you get your mammogram
My advice is not to wait for the pandemic to end before you book your screening mammogram. Once you have scheduled your appointment, you can reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 with these steps: • Make sure you have received your COVID-19 vaccination(s). • During your screening, wear a mask and stay away from other people as much as possible. You can ask the staff at your center if you can wait outside or in your car and have them call you when it’s time for your appointment. • Schedule your appointment for first thing in the morning, or ask for an appointment at the slowest time of day. • Ask the staff at the mammography center what steps they are taking to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. You might also want to ask how soon you should schedule your mammogram after your COVID-19 vaccination. Some centers recommend waiting four weeks after you’re fully vaccinated. That’s because the vaccine can cause swelling in the lymph nodes in your armpit, which could look like a sign of disease on your mammogram.
The important thing is to get your mammogram scheduled, and make sure you keep the appointment when it’s time. It’s one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself against breast cancer.
40 LIVING-MAGAZINE.COM
Physician is an employee of HealthTexas Provider Network, a member of Baylor Scott & White Health. ©2021 Baylor Scott & White Health. // DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
