Health institutions join preventive actions against breast cancer.
MAZATLAN. – The Martiniano Carvajal General Hospital and the Margarita Maza de Juárez municipal hospital join the prevention and awareness actions against breast cancer, a disease that represents the first cause of death from cancer in women, with free mammograms and ultrasounds.
The health service applies to all those women who do not have the necessary resources to perform them, as reported by Endy Samuel Ramos, director of Municipal Health Services.
“Any woman who does not have the necessary resources to be able to carry out this study, my colleagues tell me that both the General Hospital and the Municipal Hospital will be able to perform mammograms for free,” she explained.
Women from 40 to 69 years of age can have mammograms, and women of a younger age can have an ultrasound scan.
Why is it important to have mammograms every so often?
Nationally, the mortality rate from breast cancer is 17.94 deaths per 100,000 women aged 20 and over. It is really something serious so it is recommended that women have a mammogram.
They are looking for changes or abnormalities in the breast tissues that can develop into problems over time. They may discover small nodules or masses that cannot be felt by a person. If any abnormality is discovered by mammography, additional studies will be required to rule out or confirm the diagnosis.
What does the study consist of?
The study consists of taking 2 x-rays of each breast: from the sides and from top to bottom.
It takes approximately 15 minutes and causes tolerable discomfort as chest compression is required. Not all abnormal results mean cancer, for every 10 women with abnormal mammograms, only one has cancer.
There are two types of mammography:
- Early detection mammography, also known as screening, which is used in women who do not have signs or symptoms of breast cancer.
- Diagnostic mammography is recommended in women after a lump or lump is detected, or any other sign or symptom of breast cancer such as changes in the consistency or color of the skin, sinking, increase in size of any of the breasts, discharge from the nipple, pain, among others.
