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FALL 2011
SPRING 2012
INSIDE
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Gritman honored twice
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Exceptional nurses
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Funding the future
Leading the way to wel lness since 1897
C
onnections
Mammograms:
Gotta have ’em
FALL
WHAT
is this (and every)
year’s must-have for the 40 and
older woman? Her very own
mammogram.
OK, it may not be a matter of
fashion—but having a mammogram
could be a matter of life and death.
at mammogram can help nd
lumps in the breast before they can
be felt. It can also help spot calcium
deposits, called microcalci cations,
which can indicate cancer.
A mammogram, combined with a
clinical breast exam done by a doc-
tor, is the most e ective way to nd
breast cancer early, notes the U.S.
Department of Health and Human
Services. And nding cancer early
means a better chance of successful
treatment.
e American Cancer Society
recommends that women 40 and
older get a mammogram every year.
Women at higher-than-normal risk
for breast cancer may need mam-
mograms at a younger age. is can
include women who:
w
Have a personal or family history
of breast cancer.
w
Have certain genetic mutations.
w
Had radiation therapy to their
chest area when they were between
the ages of 10 and 30.
Talk to your primary care physi-
cian about when you should have
a mammogram. To schedule a
mammogram, call the Gritman
Women’s Imaging Center at
208-882-5377
.
Like a mammogram, a breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
is used for scanning and detecting breast conditions—including
breast cancer.
No radioactivity is used during an MRI. Instead, an injected
contrast agent increases the contrast between soft and hard
tissue. Then magnetic elds and radio waves are used to take
hundreds of cross-section images of both breasts at the same
time. The resulting image has 10 to 100 times the contrast of a
standard mammogram.
Gritman Medical Center is replacing its MRI with the largest,
most advanced system in the region. It will be the only high-
resolution breast MRI with biopsy capabilities on the Palouse.
To learn more about MRI for breast scanning, talk to your doc-
tor or visit www.gritman.org.
The hardest part of preparing for a mammogrammay be picking up the phone and making the
appointment. TheWomen’s Imaging team understands and will do everything they can to make your
experience pleasant. From left: Suzie Twigg, Dawn Burns, Jennifer Lowe and Stephanie Bosse.
Breast health: More than just mammograms