How To Ease The Pain And Discomfort In Mammography Process
Breast cancer accounts for about one-fifth of all deaths in women aged 40 to 50 years old. Yet many women fear getting screened for breast cancer.
During a mammogram, an x-ray test that produces an image of the inner breast tissue on film, the breasts are squeezed and pressed with a paddle so the X-ray can zone in to the dense tissue.
Because of the discomfort involving the mammography procedure, women are discouraged to undergo regular mammography screening.
Mammography is currently the most efficient screening method to detect early breast cancer
It visualizes normal and abnormal structures within the breasts and helps in identifying cysts, calcifications, and tumors within the breast.
While breast self-examination (BSE) on a monthly basis is still important, it cannot detect breast cancer in its early stage.
A mammography can be used to discover a small cancer in its curable stage. However, it is not foolproof.
It is essential for a woman to perform monthly BSE and have a breast examination by her doctor, in addition to the mammogram, to most effectively screen for breast cancer.
To encourage women to undergo regular mammography screening, a numbing gel called lidocaine was developed to ease the pain and reduce the discomfort associated with the procedure.
According to nurse practitioner Colleen Lambertz of St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute, reducing pain may mean more mammograms.
"With a more positive experience, we hope women will undergo more regular mammography screening," said Lambertz.
Effect Lidocaine Gel
A study was made on the effect of lidocaine gel in easing pain and reducing discomfort associated with mammography.
It involved 418 women aged 32 to 89 years old. All the participants had expected to have discomfort during a mammogram.
With 54 participants saying they had "probably or definitely" delayed getting a mammogram because of the perceived discomfort associated with it.
The participants were divided into three groups and were given acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or the lidocaine gel before the mammogram.
All of the medications were chosen because they are easy to get over the counter, and have few side effects
Based on their findings, those who received the numbing gel had "significantly" less breast discomfort while those who took the oral medications did not report significant easing of breast discomfort.
They also found out that women who expected to have a lot of discomfort during the mammogram did, as did women who had tender breasts.
The good news is that 88% of the participants said they would "definitely" go back for a screening in the next year.
Ten of the participants said they "probably" would go for their annual mammogram.
Study co-author James R. Maxwell, MD, medical director of St. Luke’s Breast Care Services, said in a prepared statement that:
"Mammography is the only screening tool proven to reduce mortality from breast cancer in women over 40."
He also said that "Annual screening is the most important option available to a woman to best ensure early detection and decrease the chance of being diagnosed with an advanced stage breast cancer."
While the recent decrease in death rates from breast cancer is directly linked to better and increased screenings through mammograms.
Result Mammograms
Recent reports still suggest that approximately one-half to two-thirds of women do not follow established guidelines for mammography.
The National Cancer Institute recommends that women get their first mammogram beginning at age 40 and every one to two years thereafter.
However, women who are at higher than average risk may be required a mammogram screening even before age 40.
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