Why start mammography at 40? It saves the most lives!

September has arrived and with it, fall begins. Time for changing leaves, football (Go Chiefs!), breaking out the fall wardrobes and an inundation of pumpkins – and pink! The pumpkin trend we’ll leave for others to debate – you love it or hate it, it seems, but as for everything pink, we are ready and on board to bring pink ribbons front and center!

We are gearing up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and want to remind everyone that now is a great time to schedule your screening mammogram or to encourage those you love to schedule their potentially life-saving screening.

• Are you a female 40 years of age or older?
• Has it been more than 12 months since your last mammogram?
• Do you know 75% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have NO family history of the disease?

Get on the phone (816-444-9989), get online, get on our app (text “IMAGING” to 80802) or just walk in! September is a little less busy for the mammography suite, so it is a perfect time to get in and get it done!

We’ve blogged about the importance of the age of 40 before, but a new study (in the Journal of the American College of Radiology) spells out the importance in a simple way:

“The greatest number of lives saved from breast cancer based on stage of diagnosis is achieved by starting mammographic screening at age 40.”

Simply put, to save the most lives from breast cancer, start your yearly mammograms at age 40. Saving lives – that’s what screening and early detection are all about.

While we have made huge strides in fighting this disease, estimates for the year 2018 are that 40,920 women and 480 men will lose their lives to breast cancer.

Too many by far.

So, as the first day of fall approaches, take the time to take care of you.