Comfort, technical advancements improve mammograms for patients and doctors

Patsy Hoskins knew the importance of getting a mammogram. She had insurance to cover the cost, and she had been getting annual mammograms since she was at least 40.

But at 58, Hoskins was thinking of skipping her mammogram because of the pain and discomfort she felt during the test. A call from Sherry Schulmerich, lead mammographer with Women’s Diagnostic Center at Flowers Hospital, made her reconsider. Schulmerich told her of a new device that should make the process more comfortable.

“There was no pain, none at all,” Hoskins said.

It looks simple enough in its design — a thin, square cushion that adheres to the mammogram machine. Called a MammoPad, the foam cushion provides a warmer, softer surface for the breast during a mammogram.

“So many women don’t come and have them because they’re scared it will hurt,” Schulmerich said.

The diagnostic center began using the MammoPad cushions two years ago on a limited basis. It didn’t take long for to realize it made mammograms more comfortable for patients, thus, making them more likely to return.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen an advancement that addresses the patient’s comfort,” Schulmerich said. “We’ve learned that it’s so much better for the patient.”

Hoskins said with the MammoPad, she’ll continue getting her annual mammograms along with doing self exams.

“You do it for yourself,” she said. “It’s important.”

Developed by a breast surgeon, the radiolucent MammoPad is invisible to X-rays and does not interfere with image quality, according to information from manufacturer Hologic Inc. The pads are single-use and recyclable. While it’s designed to improve the comfort of patients, it may also allow the technicians to get more compression of a breast and possibly a better image as a result. Having received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2001, the MammoPad is now used in 1,400 mammography centers across the country, according to Hologic.

Both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute recommend women begin annual mammograms at age 40, earlier if they have a history of breast cancer in their family.

In recent years there have been advancements in mammography from a technical side. Digital mammography has increased in use around the country, replacing X-ray imaging.

“It’s like the difference in the digital camera you have now and your old camera,” said Dr. Milton Lennicx, director of the Women’s Imaging Center at Southeast Alabama Medical Center.

Digital imaging provides more contrast and less gray in the image, making abnormalities easier to spot. A digital mammogram image can also be manipulated to provide a better view of specific areas. This is particularly an improvement for women with denser breasts that have more fibrous tissue, Lennicx said.

“We pick up more cancers than we have before,” he said.

MRI technology has also improved imaging and is often recommended to patients who have been tested and shown to have genetic markers for breast cancer. The SAMC Foundation raised money to help purchase breast MRI biopsy technology, said Valerie Barnes, the foundation’s executive director. The foundation has also funded mammography equipment on the hospital’s mobile screening unit.

SAMC got digital mammogram machines early this year. The machines cost twice the amount of an X-ray film system, Lennicx said.

There are other benefits to digital imaging. X-ray films create more of a storage problem than digital images. Also, a digital image can be transmitted by computer very quickly. And, Lennicx said, the Women’s Imaging Center at SAMC can see the same number of patients with fewer screening rooms because digital imaging is quicker.

“Everything is digital,” Lennicx said. “Mammography is just the last one to go digital.”