Breast Screening

Digital Mammography
Mammography is a specific type of breast imaging that uses low-dose x-rays to detect cancer early, when it is most treatable. Mammography is the only screening tool for breast cancer that is known to reduce deaths due to breast cancer through early detection. Changes in the breast may show up on a mammogram up to two years before you or your physician can feel them, making mammography essential in the early detection of breast cancer.

Yearly screening with mammography is recommended for women over the age of 40.

Partners Imaging Women’s Centers offers digital screening mammography in Sarasota and Bradenton, read by our breast imaging specialist.  Both our Sarasota and Bradenton centers offers low dose 3D Tomo mammography screening.  All Partners centers utilize Hologic mammograpy modalities and technology.

Screening mammography is covered by most insurance companies and many do not require a co-pay. A doctor’s prescription is not necessary.

Screening mammograms are usually read the same day, Monday to Friday and the results are sent to you and your doctor.

Breast MRI
For those women who are at higher risk for breast cancer, breast MRI may be an appropriate supplemental  tool to screen for breast cancer. This includes women who have :

• a personal or strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer,
• the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation,
• a first degree relative who has the mutation but have not been tested themselves,
• had radiation therapy to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30,
• Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, or Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome or first degree relative with one,
• been told they  have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer (greater than 20-25 %) or moderate lifetime risk (greater than 15%) according to risk assessment tools.

If you are unsure, you should talk to your physician about whether adding screening MRI is appropriate for you.

While mammography remains the starting point for all breast diagnostics, some women feel they cannot tolerate the compression needed for a mammogram. For those women, screening with breast MRI is an option. Breast MRI is also beneficial for  women who have implants, to evaluate the integrity of the implants and to evaluate areas of the breast that may be obscured on mammography. Breast MRI also plays a role in evaluating women who have very dense breasts on mammography, detecting more cancers when used in conjunction with mammography and breast ultrasound.

Breast MRI screening is provided at Partners Imaging Women’s Centers using a Siemens 1.5T wide bore MRI at Bradenton and a 3.0T in Sarasota.  MRI’s provide high resolution images covering both breasts, lymph nodes and the chest area in one scan. Partners uses high resolution breast coils specifically for women. Breast MRI uses no radiation; an injection of a small amount of gadolinium based contrast agent is given.

Breast MRI screening is not covered by insurance companies (MRI diagnostics generally is), however, Partners Imaging Women’s Centers offers a low self-pay rate for the scan which is designed to help patients with no insurance or high deductibles.  Note, this is not a diagnostic MRI but just a screening MRI. You may simply call us at (941) 782-0414 to book yourself in.