October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Wes Wright
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  If there was a one-in-eight chance an aircraft you were getting on was going to crash, would you still board? Many people would err on the side of caution when dealing with those unsettling odds. Unfortunately, that one-in-eight chance is what women are facing when it comes to breast cancer.

October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The goal is to raise awareness of breast cancer signs and symptoms and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis. Fortunately, many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

“The number-one risk factor for breast cancer is being a woman,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Zelasko, 673d Surgical Operations Squadron radiologist and officer in charge of mammography. “The risk increases as women age, and it has been shown that early diagnosis is the key to curing. The earlier there’s a diagnosis the more options for treatment there are.”

While the number one risk factor is being a woman, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Approximately, 250,000 people a year are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States,” Zelasko said. “About one percent of those are men. It does happen. We do not screen men for breast cancer the same way we screen women. Men tend to present with a palpable abnormality due to the lack of breast tissue that would otherwise hide it. We offer the same diagnostic service to men if they present to their provider with a complaint of an abnormality.”

Here at JBER, the radiology clinic recommends women over 40 get an annual preventive screening.

“A screening mammogram is for a woman who has no complaint regarding her breast,” Zelasko said. “Those patients can self-schedule a screening mammogram. A woman or man who has a complaint regarding their breast should schedule an appointment with their primary care provider first to have it evaluated, and then their PCM can refer them to us for diagnostic imaging.”

The Johns Hopkins Medical Center advises women to perform a breast self-exam at least once a month. The JBER radiology clinic offers free instructional cards people can hang in their showers that detail how to perform a proper self-exam.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, symptoms include changes in how the breast or nipple feels or looks, and any nipple discharge, particularly clear or bloody discharge.

To boost awareness, the radiology clinic currently has an information booth set up at the Bear Entrance to the JBER hospital with goodies and pamphlets. Additionally, the base nutritionist will be at the commissary Oct. 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. performing a food demonstration called “Think Pink Parfait.” The nutritionist will offer tips on healthy eating habits and explain how they tie into breast cancer and breast health.

Additionally, the clinic is pushing out a telephone audio script to patients reminding them to come in and get screening mammograms done.

While self-exams and mammography constitute the front lines of early detection, the diagnostic imaging capabilities at JBER allow for a full spectrum of modern medical imaging.

“Diagnostic imaging at JBER offers the whole gamut of imaging from plain radiographs of all body parts and computerized tomography, to magnetic resonance imaging,” Zelasko said. “Our MRI capabilities are as advanced as any in the country. We have a complete ultrasound department, nuclear medicine department and mammography.”

According to Senior Master Sgt. Sean Taylor, 673d SGCS diagnostic imaging superintendent, the various sections and departments are different but have a symbiotic relationship.

“All the different imaging modalities are very different from each other but all relate very well,” Taylor said. “Say you have a patient come in for an injured ankle. We can X-ray them and then they can get an MRI and receive a closer look at tendons or ligaments. From an imaging perspective, we can do pretty much anything that needs to be done.”

October’s push for breast cancer awareness usually results in a high volume of patients for the JBER clinic, making radiologic technologists busier than ever. Nov. 7 through 11 is set aside as National Radiologic Technology Week. According to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, “RAD tech week” commemorates the discovery of the X-ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen and calls attention to the important role medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and healthcare safety.

“Radiology doesn’t happen without technologists,” Zelasko said. “They are highly trained. It’s an advanced degree program these guys enter into. Without techs who are dedicated to their craft and patients, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. They are the backbone of radiology.”

Air Force Staff Sgt. Rebecca Ricciardi is one of the mammography radiological technologists at the 673d SGCS. With techs like her doing 99 percent of patient interaction, she finds it easy to form a personal bond with people she sees.

“I love this job,” Ricciardi said. “A breast cancer exam or diagnosis is a very personal experience. I love helping people through the process and knowing I played a key role in potentially saving someone’s life. It’s a really rewarding experience.”

To schedule a preventive screening, women should call 580-6743 or 580-2523.

For more information on breast cancer, visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast