A woman will have a 1 in 8 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Most women believe that if they don’t have a family history of breast cancer, they are less likely to get the disease. However, eight out of nine women diagnosed with breast cancer will have no prior family history. Early detection of cancer continues to be the number one way to beat breast cancer and women need to be proactive with self-exams and annual mammography screenings.
Women over the age of 40 are encouraged to get yearly mammograms in order to detect developing cancer. In fact, the new health care law has made it possible for all women over the age of 40 to schedule their own annual preventative exams without a physician referral.
While traditional 2-D mammography along with self-exams has been the stalwart for early detection, there is something new and better now available for women in the Temecula-Murrieta area.
3-Dimensional Mammography is the newest diagnostic tool to help women and their physicians detect breast cancer earlier. 3-D Mammography provides clearer and more precise images and is currently helping to diagnose 27% more cancers than traditional mammography. The resulting images provide such clarity that 30-40% of call-backs are reduced in 3-D mammography patients.
Three dimensional mammograms take about 30 minutes to complete and because of a special device, they now have the same radiation level as traditional mammography.
“I feel so confident in this new test,” stated a recent patient at LLUMC-Murrieta’s Women’s Diagnostic Center. “When I learned about how much better these results are and that my doctor has expressed his preference for this type of test because of its clarity and in the accuracy of the test results, I scheduled my exam right away. I feel that this is the perfect way for me to have more peace of mind.” Three-Dimensional mammography is billed the same as traditional mammography and does not cost more for the patient or the entity that pays for the test so women can have assurance in both the test results and the costs associated with it.
Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta is the first and only provider of this life-saving technology in the area. The service is provided in our Women’s Diagnostic Center in the Professional Office Building next to the hospital located at 28078 Baxter Road in Suite 220. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. To schedule your 3-D mammogram, call 951-290-4360.