In 1976, mammography became standard practice as a screening device. Today, numerous organizations, including the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society, recommend that women age 40 and older have an annual screening mammogram to check for breast cancer. A mammogram is considered to be “positive” when the radiologist reading it sees an abnormal area in the breast that may be indicative of cancer. Just because a mammogram result is positive does not always mean there is cancer. A false-positive result can occur when the radiologist determines that the mammogram is abnormal, but there is actually no cancer present.

 

Few things in life are more agonizing than the time between a biopsy or finding out you have an abnormal mammogram and the delivery of test results. The anxiety of waiting for what could be a life-altering answer for days or even weeks is almost unbearable. Fortunately, The Breast Center at West Boca Diagnostic Imaging Center is designed to take a woman from testing to biopsy to diagnosis as quickly as possible.

 

That kind of dedication to patients’ physical health and their mental well-being is partly what drew Dr. Marc Kalis, a radiologist fellowship-trained in breast imaging, to The Breast Center in 2009.

 

"Patients can get their mammogram results almost immediately, within 30 minutes or so, if they choose to wait here," Dr. Kalis said. “The benefits of that are that if they need additional studies, they can get those done immediately.”

 

Other breast centers may take two weeks up to a month to confirm a biopsy diagnosis. At West Boca, the focus is on reducing that time and reducing patient anxiety. This sensitive approach is also accompanied by a high caliber of diagnostic medical care. The Breast Center offers some of the most advanced procedures, including stereotactic, ultrasound and MRI guided biopsies, lymph node biopsies, radioactive seed localizations, digital mammography, and a 64-slice CT scanner.

 

The difference between conventional and digital mammography involves how the breast image is recorded and stored. While X-rays are used to produce both kinds of mammograms, breast images are stored on film in conventional mammography, while an electronic image of the breast is stored as a computer file in digital mammography. Information that is stored digitally can be more easily magnified or manipulated for additional evaluation than images stored on film.

 

In cases of positive screening mammogram results, the doctor may order a diagnostic mammogram for more detailed, clearer images of the suspicious area. Other imaging tests may also be necessary, including an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create a picture of the breast, or an MRI which uses powerful magnets to create detailed images of breast tissue.

 

At The Breast Center at West Boca, if something suspicious is found, a host of sophisticated techniques can help to rapidly determine a diagnosis. These include stereotactic core biopsies and ultrasound guided needle biopsies, alternatives to traditional surgery which can be performed on an outpatient basis. If these test results are positive, the patient navigator and physician will work together to coordinate the referral to a specialist who will put together an appropriate treatment plan. Treatment options include surgery, as well as different types of therapy such as chemo, radiation, hormone and targeted.

 

Early detection of breast cancer allows for earlier treatment, maybe even before the disease has spread. The relative five-year survival rate for cancer found in the early stages is approximately 90 percent. Research has shown that the number of deaths due to breast cancer for women between the ages of 40 and 74 can be reduced with the help of screening mammograms.