Keeping Up With the Annual Mammograms
When it’s time for a woman’s annual mammogram, a diagnosis of breast cancer typically hovers as the prime concern. However, some radiology clinics now offer a heart disease risk assessment using the same mammogram. This additional service, though not without controversy, could potentially alert women to unforeseen risks for heart disease.
How Mammograms Play a Bigger Role
Typically, mammograms focus on the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. But did you know that these images also indicate whether breast arteries sketched with calcifications, insignificant to breast cancer, could signal a risk of heart disease? These calcium deposits in the breast arteries show up as white lines on the film. While this occurrence isn’t new, traditionally, patients haven’t been provided with this information.
However, things are changing with some medical practices now making these results available, often for a fee. Yet, experts are questioning the efficacy of this practice in correctly gauging heart disease risk.
Doubts About Breast Arterial Calcification Screening
Well-respected names in the field are questioning this new mammogram use. Greg Sorensen, chief science officer at RadNet, brought up valid concerns. He argued that while there might be calcification in the breast artery, it isn’t the same as calcification in the coronary artery, a recognized marker of heart disease risk.
He expressed doubts about the technique’s current value. Adding that despite links between calcifications in breast arteries and the risk of cardiovascular disease, research still leaves room for doubt.
On the flip side, RadNet provides an AI analysis of mammograms, targeting improved detection of breast cancer.
Questions Over Heart Disease Risk Assessment
Despite the innovation, significant questions remain about the accuracy of heart disease risk assessment using this method. Even patients without calcification in their breast arteries might still face heart disease threats, including a heart attack or stroke.
One extensive study of postmenopausal women revealed a surprising statistic. Although 26% exhibited breast arterial calcification, most instances of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke affected patients without these calcium build-ups.
The industry now faces a double-edged sword of great potential, yet a need for cautious progress.
Heart Disease: The Unheeded Threat
Screening for the risk of heart disease during the annual mammogram that millions of women undergo seems like a rational move. After all, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the US, bringing down 300,000 individuals approximately – or 1 in 5 women – in 2021 alone.
Sadly, many women fail to recognize the numerous risk factors of heart disease. These include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, hazardous alcohol consumption, and obesity.
Cutting Through the Controversy
Web-based calculators are available to help people assess their potential cardiovascular disease risks. If your 10-year risk stands at 7.5% or higher, you might need lifestyle alterations or medications to reduce your blood cholesterol.
It’s vital to understand that the roots of heart disease are multifaceted, and mammograms aren’t a definitive assessment. Breast arterial calcification assessment simply offers another layer in the prevention conversation. Radiologist Laura Heacock highlighted that the screening provides another chance to discuss heart health.
More Research Needed
Some institutions, like the Lynn Women’s Health and Wellness Institute in Boca Raton, Florida, have incorporated breast arterial calcification screening into their mammograms since 2020. Heather Johnson, a preventive cardiologist there, acknowledges that more study is necessary to fully comprehend the relationship between calcification and heart disease.
The debate continues, and ongoing research will justifiably uncover whether this screening equates to tangible changes in patient care and, importantly, a decrease in cardiac attacks and strokes.
In the meantime, discussing heart health and its risks holistically remains the best prevention method for heart disease.