BROWNSVILLE — While the month of October is traditionally known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the need for screening mammograms aimed at early detection and successful treatment of breast cancer is a yearlong effort.

To that end, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville will soon offer additional options when it comes to receiving a critical mammogram screenings that could ultimately be life-saving. While 2D and 3D mammograms have long been offed at Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s main campus, the screenings will also soon be available within the next few weeks to local residents at the Valley Baptist Outpatient Imaging Center-Brownsville, said Greg Ruiz, Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s director of imaging services and respiratory care.

“We’re working as hard as we can to provide our community with options for receiving this much-needed service,” he said. “Early detection of breast cancer is absolutely critical when it comes to the quality of care and service for our community.”

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for more than one in three cancers diagnosed in the United States, making it the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2022, nearly 288,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women, with the disease claiming more than 43,000 lives.

Early detection through mammogram screenings, increased public awareness of breast cancer, and improved treatments have helped reduce the mortality rate associated with breast cancer in the United States. Both 2D and 3D mammogram screenings can detect breast cancer when it is smaller and more confined to the breast, allowing the cancer to be treated more successfully, Ruiz said.

Traditional 2D mammograms provide radiologists with top and side images of the breast, while 3D mammograms provide multiple images of breast tissue from a variety of angles, which can aid radiologists when screening patients with particularly dense breast tissue and can reduce false positive screenings, Ruiz said.

As the community continues to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Valley Baptist-Brownsville continues to offer a number of safeguards to protect patients from the virus. Because a variety of health conditions can often worsen if they are not addressed in a timely manner, it is important not to delay regular health screenings, including mammograms, Ruiz said.

“Women should not be fearful or apprehensive about resuming or obtaining their health screenings,” he said. “We continue to provide our community with the highest quality of healthcare in the safest environment, and we continue to take patient safety extremely seriously. We understand that right now, some patients might not want to come to a traditional hospital environment, so offering another option at the Valley Baptist Outpatient Imaging Center-Brownsville is very important.”

For more information on imaging services offered at Valley Baptist-Brownsville and the Valley Baptist Outpatient Imaging Center-Brownsville, call (956) 698-5400 or (956) 698-4510, respectively. To learn more information on the signs, symptoms, and latest treatments for breast cancer, click here or https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html.

BREAKOUT BOX

• According to the American Cancer Society:
  • Women aged 40 to 44 years should have the choice to start breast cancer screening once a year with mammography if they wish to do so. The risks of screening as well as the potential benefits should be considered.
  • Women aged 45 to 49 years should be screened with mammography annually.
  • Women aged 50 to 54 years should be screened with mammography annually.
  • For women aged 55 years and older, screening with mammography is recommended once every two years or once a year.
  • Women aged 55 years and older should transition to biennial screening or have the opportunity to continue screening annually.
• Contact Information:
  • Valley Baptist-Brownsville Imaging Department: (956) 698-5400
  • Valley Baptist Outpatient Imaging Center-Brownsville located at 5700 North Expressway Suite 109: (956) 698-4510