Doctor urges people to get mammograms, cancer screenings delayed amid COVID

Topic: Doctor urges people to get mammograms, cancer screenings delayed amid COVID

Cathlamet resident Sue Johnson drove 30 minutes to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center on Monday to get a mammogram, but said the drive was “well worth it.”

Johnson, 76, said she’s regularly gotten a mammogram for the last three decades.

“I’m a firm believer in having a mammogram because you can’t save yourself if you don’t have a mammogram,” she said.

Many patients have been delaying annual screenings, including mammograms, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, said St. John surgeon and Breast Center physician leader Christine Katterhagen. It’s safe to go to the doctor and patients, no matter where they get care, should get their mammogram or other annual screening.

“Don’t put your health on the back burner,” Katterhagen said.

PeaceHealth recommends patients with average risk of breast cancer begin annual mammograms at 40 years old. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast that can detect changes that may be early signs of cancer, but are too small to be felt.

In March 2020, the hospital paused regular screenings, including mammograms, but continued seeing patients who found a lump or had a problem, Katterhagen said. St. John restarted non-essential procedures May 21, 2020, but many patients haven’t returned, she said.

More than one-third of adults in the United States failed to receive recommended cancer screenings during the pandemic, according to the American Cancer Society and National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

According to a recent study by the National Cancer Institute, pandemic-relayed delays in breast and colorectal cancer screenings and treatment will cause about 10,000 excess deaths in the U.S. over the next 10 years.

Topic Discussed: Doctor urges people to get mammograms, cancer screenings delayed amid COVID

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