More than 300,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and it is the most common form of cancer worldwide. The encouraging news is that the overall death rate from breast cancer decreased by 1 percent each year from 2013 to 2018. Experts attribute these declines to treatment advances and earlier detection through screening, including regular mammograms.

Medical experts recommend that all women perform regular self breast examinations and have a clinical breast exam during their annual preventive visit with their health care provider. Annual mammograms are also recommended for women over the age 40 who are deemed to be of “average risk” for breast cancer. There are different screening guidelines for women with higher-than-average breast cancer risk for example because of family history of breast cancer.

At Columbus Community Hospital, we offer state-of-the-art digital mammography for our patients. Digital mammography is superior to traditional, film-based mammography in several ways:

• Delivers less radiation
• Provides clearer diagnostic images
• Is faster, and images are available immediately
• Minimizes need for retaking multiple images and repeat visits
• Better identifies abnormalities in denser breast tissue, especially in women under the age of 50.