Breast Cancer Screening for Seniors

Getting screened for Breast Cancer early and often can help save lives.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we want to remind everyone of the importance of screening, especially for seniors. Age is one of the most prevalent risk factors for developing breast cancer, so it is important to get screened regularly. Screening means checking for cancer before there are symptoms of the disease. There are many options available but consult your doctor to decide which is the best for you. While screening will not eliminate the risk or prevent breast cancer, it can help find it early, when it is easier to treat.

Types of screening available include mammograms, MRIs, ultrasounds, clinical breast exams, and breast self-awareness/exams.

What are the Benefits and Risks of Screening?

Benefits

The main benefit of screening is finding the disease early, before it has spread outside of the breast. When found at an early stage, more than 99% of women are alive five years after diagnosis.

Risks

One harm of screening is a potential false positive test. This can lead to more tests, which can be time-consuming, invasive, expensive, and can cause anxiety. Another risk is overdiagnosis, which is when doctors find a cancer that would not have caused symptoms. This leads to what is known as overtreatment, which can include treatments recommended for breast cancer such as surgery or radiation. Those may cause unwanted side effects. More potential risks include the pain during procedures and radiation exposure from mammograms. While the radiation is minimal, there can be risks with repeated x-rays.

What are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?

Risk for breast cancer, like most diseases, is due to a combination of factors. The main factors include gender and age, where women 50 years or older are most likely to be diagnosed.

Factors you Cannot Change

• Age
• Genetic mutations
• Reproductive history
• Having dense breasts
• Personal history of breast cancer or certain noncancerous breast diseases
• Family history of breast or ovarian cancer
• Previous treatment using radiation therapy
• Exposure to the drug DES – this was given to some pregnant women between 1940-1971 to prevent miscarriage. Women who took DES while pregnant have an increased risk. As do women whose mothers took DES while pregnant with them.

Factors you Can Change

• Not being physically active
• Being overweight after menopause
• Taking hormonse
• Drinking history

What Local Resources are Available for Breast Cancer in Colorado?

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment – They offer free screening and navigation services for those who qualify through the Women’s Wellness Connection. They partner with over 100 clinics across the state. Eligibility includes women aged 21-64 with no health insurance or limited insurance. Income eligibility thresholds also exist.

Free Mammograms – They are a website database that lists resources for free mammograms across the county. They do their best to list find all of the free clinics that they can find. Check out resources for Westminster, Broomfield, and Boulder below.

Westminster

Broomfield

Boulder

CU Cancer Center – They have recently partnered with the Women’s Wellness Connection to help provide patient navigation services through several clinics involved in the program. The initiative helps people diagnosed with cancer to find treatment, even though they may not be eligible for a Medicaid program that covers the cost.

How Can We Help with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?

When someone you love is diagnosed with breast cancer, you want to be there for them. But balancing caregiving with work, family, appointments, and everyday responsibilities can be challenging. Our professional Caregivers can become an extension of your family’s support system. We can provide respite care when family Caregivers need a break, transportation to treatments and appointments, and homemaking assistance with meals, laundry, light housekeeping, and other household tasks.

Most importantly, care is centered around the individual. We support their routines, preferences, independence, and dignity while helping families spend less time worrying about everyday tasks and more time simply being together. Call today to learn how we can help you Live Assured at home.