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DR. VALERIE GORMAN Here’s What Could Show Up on Your Screening Mammogram
These are some situations where your doctor might recommend additional tests
BY VALERIE GORMAN, MD, BREAST SURGEON AT BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE TEXAS SURGICAL SPECIALISTS When you have your routine screening mammogram, you’re hoping to hear that you don’t have any signs of breast cancer. And that’s usually the case. For 88 to 93 percent of women, no further testing is required. But that leaves 7 to 12 percent of women who need additional screening. If you get a callback for more screening, try not to be too anxious. Most of the time, it doesn’t mean you have breast cancer. Here are a few things that could show up on a screening mammogram. Calcifications It’s common for calcifications to appear on mammograms, especially in women older than 50. Calcifications are calcium deposits in the breast that look like little white spots on a mammogram. They are almost always noncancerous, but sometimes the way they appear can be a sign of cancer. So, if your mammograms show calcifications, your doctor may want to have a closer look at that area.
Lumps or masses Some lumps are so small you can’t feel them, but they show up on a mammogram. If you learn you have a lump on your breast, you may be worried, but most lumps are not cancerous. Your doctor may request another mammogram, an ultrasound, or a breast MRI to evaluate a lump. If those tests don’t rule out cancer, your doctor may recommend a biopsy. Asymmetries Breast asymmetry means your breasts don’t look the same as each other. While it’s common for breasts to look slightly different on the outside, they tend to look similar on mammograms. Your breasts should also look roughly the same as they did on your previous mammograms. So, if one of your breasts looks denser or different than the other on your mammograms or different than it did in the past, you may need a follow-up mammogram. Sometimes, that additional mammogram makes it clear that there’s no sign of problems. If not, your doctor might recommend an ultrasound, MRI, or biopsy. Architectural distortion Architectural distortion can appear when something pulls on your breast tissue. So, the way your breast was positioned during the mammogram may cause architectural distortion. It could also show up if your breast has been injured or if you’ve had a procedure performed on it. But since architectural distortion could be a sign of breast cancer, your doctor may request another mammogram for clarification. Dense breasts About 50 percent of women have dense breasts, which means your breasts are made up of more glandular and connective tissue and less fatty tissue. You can’t tell if your breasts are dense yourself, but dense breasts look different on a mammogram—the dense areas on a mammogram appear white. Calcifications and tumors also look white, so it can be harder to spot them in dense breasts. If you have dense breasts, you might be called back for follow-up testing more often.
Valerie Gorman, MD, is an employee of HealthTexas Provider Network, a member of Baylor Scott & White Health.
Greetings 30AFrom
STORY BY CINDY BURCH PHOTOS BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
For several years I have been hearing wonderful things about the beach towns in the Florida panhandle along what is known as scenic Highway 30A. Many of our friends make it a regular destination and a few even own homes there, saying it is a great place to make wonderful family memories season after season. We recently visited this special area and now understand why it has become a favorite place to vacation. We flew into the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City. It is small and easy to get in and out of without a hassle. We rented a car right outside baggage claim and in just 25 minutes found ourselves driving along 30A admiring each picturesque town we passed through. From west to east, you will find the beach towns of Dune Allen, Santa Rosa, Blue Mountain, Grayton, Watercolor, Seaside, Seagrove, WaterSound, Seacrest, Alys, Rosemary, and Inlet Beach. Each of them sharing the most beautiful white sandy beaches in the world. The 30A name comes from an actual road in South Walton County (County Road 30A) that spans roughly 20 miles along the Florida Panhandle coastline between the much busier areas of Panama City and Destin. What we noticed first was the absence of big chain hotels, massive condo units and high rises. Instead, there is a much calmer approach to beach life with colorful cottages similar to Key West or Nantucket. Local boutiques and privately owned restaurants are on every corner. Kids are busy riding bikes and folks are walking their dogs and running about in golf carts with a carefree friendly attitude. It immediately felt safe and comfortable.
We rented a townhome in Prominence, a local community between Seagrove and Alys Beach. This master-planned community has a golf course, a lake, and multiple pools with a main ‘hub’ called The Big Chill that has pop-up restaurants, food trucks, shops, and an outdoor stage for live music. Many of the rental homes come with a golf cart, bicycles and beach chairs. We arrived and settled in with just enough time to drive down to the WaterColor community and watch a beautiful sunset on the deck at F.O.O.W. (Fish Out of Water) Restaurant where we devoured the best fried oysters any of us had ever had. The next morning we made our way down to Seaside, one of the most picturesque areas along 30A. The Seaside town center is a beautiful and popular place to shop and dine. We enjoyed Great Southern Café so much that we ate there twice in three days. I am still dreaming about their Sunday brunch eggs benedict with crabcake, fried green tomatoes and a Cajun hollandaise. Seaside also has a wonderful little gourmet grocery called Modica Market and several food trucks. A perfect spot to grab some picnic goodies before heading off to the beach for the day. Each little beach town has its own vibe and architecture, but Alys Beach (pronounced Alice) is truly unique. Everything is white and all of the structures have a very Bermudan architecture with courtyards reminiscent of Antiqua and Guatemala mixed with a bit of Greek, Spanish and Moorish influence. You will find some of the most expensive homes in this area along with George’s, another popular restaurant on Alys main drag. One of my favorite areas was Rosemary Beach. Its main town center is reminiscent of New Orleans’ French Quarter with a West Indies flair and lots of boutiques and restaurants. The Pearl Hotel is a beautiful place to stay or rent a beach chair that they will set out early in the morning for you with an umbrella and pick up at the end of the day. Golf carts are not allowed in Rosemary, but you can walk or ride bikes everywhere you need to go. Our reservations at Paradis, in the town center of Rosemary, unfortunately was reserved for the wrong day, but we heard it is an excellent place for dinner. Instead, we enjoyed a wonderful upscale meal at Café Thirty-A in Santa Rosa Beach. It was a great ending to a lovely vacation. 30A is truly a place for a laid-back getaway and as the regulars already know, once you visit this Emerald Coast, you are definitely coming back. I wholeheartedly agree.
Cindy Burch
