How Often Should You Get Breast Exams as You Age?
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How Often Should You Get Breast Exams as You Age?

This October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for our caregivers, aides, Home Health Aides, Certified Nursing Assistants, and the senior citizens in their care, it's still important to continue screening for breast cancer throughout one's entire life. Most people are surprised to learn that not only women but men and people of any other gender can also develop breast cancer. It's simply possible for anyone who has inherited the gene that causes it for that person to develop it during their lifetime, regardless of gender. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 42,000 individuals die from breast cancer each year. One thing to do to combat these numbers is to get your senior clients or loved ones scheduled for their breast cancer test and avoid an undetected, potentially fatal tumor. Senior Helpers Tulsa is here to help and explain.

How Often Do Clients Need a Breast Cancer Test in their sixties? The seventies? The eighties and Beyond?

Most people are taught to conduct self-exams and report any lumps to their nurse or physician. Other types of examinations occur in the doctor's office, and the clinician performs the exam themselves. However, once a woman or individual interested in having a breast cancer test turns 40, then it is important to switch to mammograms.

What is a Mammogram?

  • A mammogram is a screening tool that is used to catch breast cancer in an X-ray.
  • Mammograms compress the breast tissue in order for the doctor to see each area without layers obscuring cancerous cells.
  • Mammograms are typically recommended on an annual basis until the individual turns 50.
  • Some mammograms on the market, like a Koning 3-D Breast Imaging System, do not involve compression.

How Frequently Do Senior Clients Need Mammograms?

There are some factors that influence how frequently people over the age of 65 need breast examinations. While the recommendations vary based on the organization, The American Cancer Society recommends the following:

  1. Individuals should continue receiving mammograms from 50-55 but can begin to get them every other year.
  2. They recommend that women keep getting mammograms throughout their lifespan, even after age 75.
  3. As long as the individual's health allows, then they can choose to continue the biennial screening.

What Other Factors Should Caregivers Know?

Breast cancer is inherited, so those who have a family history of it, a family member who has had it, or have been identified as having the gene that carries it, are considered high-risk. If an individual has already had breast cancer in their life, then they are also considered high-risk. Furthermore, individuals who happen to have dense breast tissue are at a higher risk for detection and are also included in this category. Lastly, one study conducted by the American College of Radiology (ACR) identified that African American and Ashkenazi Jewish populations are at higher risk as well. If the senior loved one you work with has questions about whether they are at high-risk, then encourage them to follow up with their doctor.

For individuals who are considered high-risk, then here are other recommendations:

  • Those who are high-risk begin screenings earlier, and the ACR study suggests they begin at age 30.  
  • The American Cancer Society announced here that those who are high-risk get an MRI every 6-12 months.
  • For those who are high-risk, mammograms might not be sufficient to identify their risk factor, and MRIs are recommended.
  • Again, if your senior loved one has concerns, then refer them to their physician.

Save Seniors from Breast Cancer by Encouraging Screenings

It might be uncomfortable to speak to the senior in your care about the importance of a breast cancer test, but it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many doctors' offices in Broken Arrow, McAlester, Sand Springs, and Tulsa offer welcoming options for seniors and reduced costs for mammograms. Contact us, Senior Helpers Tulsa, for more information about where the senior loved one in your care can go for regular screenings. It might be uncomfortable, but it's much better to catch cancer early and avoid its progression.