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New Technology at Davis Hospital Offers More Comfortable Mammograms
May 4, 2010
Davis Hospital and Medical Center received new technology that will be a welcome relief for all women interested in breast cancer prevention.
The MammoPad is a foam insert that provides cushioning and warmth between the mammogram x-ray machine and a woman’s breast. It addresses the two most common complaints women have about getting mammograms: It is cold, and it hurts.
Studies show one reason why women do not regularly get mammograms is because of a fear of pain and discomfort from the compression that is involved in testing.
“Many women avoid getting regular mammograms because of the discomfort associated with it,” said Dr. Jose Perez-Tamayo, Radiologist. “We believe that by minimizing the pain, more women will get their regular mammograms, which in turn will save lives.”
Clinical studies show three out of every four women experience an average 50 percent decrease in discomfort with MammoPad. While the breast cushion provides comfort, it does not compromise the high level of image quality needed for a routine mammogram or require increased radiation dose during a mammogram.
A woman has a one-in-eight chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. Each year in the United States, 190,000 women hear the words, “You have breast cancer,” and 40,000 of those women succumb to the disease.
If detected and treated early, breast cancer is often survivable. Mammograms detect lumps 90 percent of the time. Davis Hospital physicians expect that MammoPads could increase the chance for early detection and successful treatment, since women should not hesitate to receive their mammograms now that it is a more comfortable procedure.
“Some women who have never had a mammogram have heard stories about how painful it can be,” said Dr. Tamayo. “We hope women everywhere will now hear stories that a mammogram isn’t so bad anymore, because the MammoPad makes it a much better experience. Today’s mammograms aren’t like the mammograms a decade ago.”
Doctors at Davis Hospital and Medical Center hope that the word about comfortable mammograms spreads faster than breast cancer.
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