WARSAW, Ind. (Oct. 20, 2022) – The team at Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital wants to remind women to schedule their annual breast cancer screening, because early detection means life-saving treatment can begin right away.
Breast cancer makes up 30 percent of all new female cancer cases in the U.S. annually. Fortunately, a screening mammogram can help detect breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.
“The best chance for survival of any cancer is early diagnosis and treatment,” said Elizabeth Struble, M.D., a family medicine physician with Lutheran Health Physicians in North Manchester. “Mammograms can detect cancer before any symptoms such as a lump or spreading of the disease occurs and can increase the likelihood of recovery.”
Lutheran Kosciusko Women’s Imaging Center offers mammography services Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on designated Saturdays each month. Nearly all breast cancers can be treated successfully if found early, and the most effective way to detect breast cancer at an early, treatable stage is to have yearly mammograms.
The U.S. breast cancer death rate in women has dropped 43 percent since mammography became widely used in the 1980s. The American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging recommend annual mammograms start at age 40 for women of average risk. Women should talk to their primary care physician or qualified healthcare provider to determine personal risk factors and screening recommendations.
An order from a physician or qualified healthcare provider is not required to schedule a mammogram at Lutheran Kosciusko, but patients must provide a physician or provider name when an appointment is made. If patients do not have a physician or provider, a list will be provided to them for selection. All mammogram reports will be sent to the physician or provider for patient follow-up.
To schedule a mammogram, call (833) 546-4968 or visit lutherankosciuskohospital.com/