• Women under the age of 50. Unless recommended earlier
by a physician, your first mammogram should be done between
the ages of 35 and 40 and then every year after age 40.
• Women who are pre- or peri-menopausal.
Breast MRI
Providing detailed images of the breast through a radiation-free procedure, the
Breast MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) pinpoints size and location of lumps found
in the breast. It helps define the lumps in a detailed way so that the physician
and imaging specialists
can study them.
Breast Ultrasound
The
Breast Ultrasound provides a visual of suspicious areas of the breast. It
is used to help distinguish between cysts and solid mass areas of the breast.
MammoPad
St. Francis is also the first Upstate breast health facility to offer the
Woman's Touch MammoPad, which dramatically decreases discomfort during a mammogram (clinical studies
show a discomfort reduction of at least 50%). The MammoPad is a single-use, adhesive-backed
foam cushion that attaches to the compression
plates of
mammography devices; it does not interfere with image quality on films.
The MammoPad is provided free to every patient and provides softness and warmth
during your mammogram.
ImageChecker
For mammogram films, our
ImageChecker can detect on films what human eyes cannot.
All mammography patients at St.
Francis will have their results screened by the ImageChecker. The machine scans
films to detect patterns that could be problematic and marks these areas so that
radiologists can view them in more detail.
Studies show that out of every 100,000
cancers currently detected by mammography screenings, use of the ImageChecker
could result in the early detection of an additional 20,500
breast cancers.
Screen for Life
St. Francis has developed the
Screen for Life program, funded by the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, to provide free
screenings and diagnostics to women who either do not have medical insurance or
are financially unable to pay. Qualifiers must be Upstate residents and be referred
from physicians or free clinics that have privileges at St. Francis. The program
also seeks to alert high-risk populations in the Upstate, like African American
and Hispanic women, of the benefits of early breast cancer detection.