Bend Memorial Clinic adds 3-D mammography

Dr. Heather West, an oncologist at Bend Memorial Clinic, is usually the one telling patients about the importance of mammograms. On Thursday, she practiced what she preaches and underwent her first mammogram.

“I thought it might be a good opportunity to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak,” West said.

West turned 40 this summer, the age doctors recommend women begin having screenings for breast cancer.

“A lot of women have different experiences around anxiety or worries about mammography, and I thought this would be a good opportunity just to show them what it’s like,” she said.

West is using the newest weapon in the fight against breast cancer — a three-dimensional machine, the first of its kind on the High Desert, at BMC.

Unlike traditional 2-D mammograms, the new test, called tomosynthesis, allows the breast tissue to be seen in layers.

Doctors say it opens doors for better diagnoses and early detection. It could be a life-saving game-changer.

“The detection rate for invasive cancers improves by about 40 percent. That’s not small, that’s a big leap,” said Dr. Jim Ockner, a radiologist at BMC.

West says if her screening can encourage just one woman to come get tested, she’s satisfied.

If you catch breast cancer early, it is very curable,” West said.

For more information on the 3-D mammography breast cancer screening, visit http://www.bendmemorialclinic.com/