Does caffeine affect mammogram results: What Not To Do Before A Mammogram

20.08.202305.07.2023 by alexxlab

Содержание

What Not To Do Before A Mammogram

DON’T apply deodorant before your mammogram.
Also refrain from using perfume, lotion, creams, and any other substance on and around your breasts, including under your arms! These can show up in the mammogram screenings as white spots, causing inaccurate readings. Feel free to bring these with you to apply after the exam. If you forget, no need to worry, but our staff will ask you to wipe it off prior to the mammogram.
DON’T wear a dress or one-piece outfit.
It’s best to wear two pieces (pants/skirt with a top) so you can keep your bottoms on during the exam.
DON’T go right before or during your period.
Your breasts may be more tender/swollen around this time, which can cause extra discomfort during the mammogram. If you’re premenopausal, the best time to go is about a week after your period.
DON’T consume caffeine products (coffee, chocolate) several days up to two weeks before the appointment.
Although this will not affect your mammogram results (so no worries if you do accidentally have some), it could cause breast tenderness for women who are sensitive to caffeine.
DON’T worry if you’ve had prior mammograms at other facilities.
No need to bring anything – our staff can get your previous records and films for you.
DON’T worry about getting a doctor referral or prescription.
At PURE Mammography, no prescription is needed for a screening mammogram. However, our staff will request the name of your health care provider to send a copy of your mammogram results to.
DON’T be scared!
Although some women may feel some pain during a mammogram screening, most women only feel a slight discomfort. Additionally, you don’t need to worry about radiation exposure, which is minimal. The peace of mind you’ll get knowing that you’re protecting yourself from a late stage cancer diagnosis is worth the discomfort!

What you CAN and SHOULD do before your mammogram screening

DO eat!
There’s no need to fast before a mammogram, as it will not affect the results. Feel free to eat, drink, and take medication.
DO let your mammogram technologist know of anything that may affect your breast cancer risk.
This may include breast changes, medical history, family history, etc.
DO take an OTC pain medicine (if you want).
Feel free to take Advil, Ibuprofen, etc. if you’re worried about pain or have experienced pain during past mammograms. However, at PURE Mammography, our technicians are very gentle and try to make mammograms as painless and comfortable as possible.
DO choose an experienced and certified mammogram facility, such as PURE Mammography!
We are an American College of Radiology (ACR) accredited facility and an ACR Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. PURE Mammography specializes in performing 3D mammograms, so you can be sure that our staff will make your screening experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible. We are located in the Smith Haven Mall on Long Island, so you’re free to make an appointment beforehand or simply drop by during your shopping trip.

Read what our patients are saying!

So easy! Very nice employees! The waiting room was like a spa with comfy club chairs and a flat screen video showing relaxing ocean waves on a beach. The radiologist was very professional and polite. My husband didn’t mind sitting in the waiting room especially since he was served coffee. Lol. Total time there was 20 mins. I left feeling very good in having accomplished something very important for my health.– Valerie R.

Click here to read more reviews.
Schedule an appointment at our spa-like mammography center by calling 631-652-3424 or by filling out the form on this page.

Related Materials:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Tour Our Facility
Patient Testimonials
Spa-Like Experience
About PURE Mammography

Pre-Schedule an Appointment

Dense Breast Tissue and Caffeine: What to Know

The short answer is yes. Caffeine can affect breast tissue. However, caffeine doesn’t cause breast cancer.

The details are complex and can be confusing. The bottom line is that the connection between caffeine and breast tissue shouldn’t necessarily change your coffee or tea drinking habits.

Here’s what we know, in brief:

Caffeine isn’t a risk factor for breast cancer.
There may be a small association between breast tissue density and caffeine. This doesn’t mean a cause.
Many studies have concluded that dense breast tissue is a strong risk factor for breast cancer.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into caffeine, breast density, and the connection between breast density and breast cancer.

There are very few studies of caffeine and breast tissue density, and results are mixed.

A 2000 study found no association of caffeine to breast density. Similarly, a 2019 study of adolescents who consumed caffeine found no association with breast density in premenopausal women.

However, a 2018 study of 4,130 healthy women found a small association between caffeine intake and breast density. The study results differed, depending on whether the women were premenopausal or postmenopausal:

Postmenopausal women with a higher caffeine or decaffeinated coffee intake had a lower percentage of breast tissue density.
Premenopausal women with higher coffee intake had a higher percentage of breast density.
Postmenopausal women on hormone therapy who had higher coffee and caffeine intake had a lower percentage of breast density. Because hormone therapy tends to be associated with increased breast density in general, the study suggests that caffeine intake might reduce this effect.

What’s in caffeine that might affect breast tissue?

The connection between caffeine and breast tissue density isn’t fully understood.

It’s suggested that the many biologically active compounds (phytochemicals) in caffeine may stimulate enzymes involved with estrogen metabolism and decreasing inflammation. These phytochemicals may also inhibit gene transcription by adding methyl groups to the DNA molecules.

In animal tests, coffee compounds suppressed the formation of breast tumors, as reported in a 2012 study of caffeine and breast cancer. A 2015 study found that caffeine and caffeic acid had anticancer properties in relation to estrogen receptor genes.

Having dense breasts means that you have more fibrous or glandular tissue and not as much fatty tissue in your breasts. Almost half of American women have breasts that are dense. It’s normal.

There are four classes of breast density as defined by the American College of Radiology:

(A) almost entirely fatty breast tissue
(B) scattered areas of dense tissue
(C) varying (heterogeneously) dense breast tissue
(D) extremely dense breast tissue

About 40 percent of women fall into category C and about 10 percent in category D.

Dense breasts are especially common in younger women and women with smaller breasts. Nearly three-quarters of women in their 30s have dense breast tissue, compared to one-quarter of women in their 70s.

But anyone, no matter what breast size or age, can have dense breasts.

How do you know if you have dense breast tissue?

You can’t feel breast density, and it’s not related to breast firmness. It can’t be detected with a physical exam. The only way to see breast tissue density is on a mammogram.

Was this helpful?

Breast tissue density is well established as a high risk for breast cancer. The risk is higher for the 10 percent of women who have extremely dense breasts.

However, having dense breasts doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop breast cancer. The concern with dense breasts is that even a 3-D mammogram (called a digital breast tomosynthesis) can miss a developing cancer in dense breast tissue.

It’s estimated that up to 50 percent of breast cancers can’t be seen on a mammogram in women who have dense breasts.

Consider yearly ultrasound tests

If your mammogram shows that you have dense breast tissue, especially if more than half your breast tissue is dense, discuss additional yearly ultrasound testing with your doctor.

Breast ultrasound exams detect an additional 2 to 4 tumors per 1,000 women screened by mammograms.

Consider yearly MRI screenings

For women with a high breast cancer risk from dense breast tissue or other risk factors, discuss with your doctor about having a yearly MRI screening. Breast MRI finds an average of 10 additional cancers per 1,000 women, even after a mammogram and ultrasound screening.

If you don’t have a mammogram, you can’t know if you have an increased risk of breast cancer from having dense breasts, a spokesperson for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) emphasizes. Women should discuss family history and other risk factors with their healthcare provider to determine the mammogram schedule most appropriate for them.

Whether to have yearly supplemental breast screening if you have dense breasts is an individual decision. Discuss the pros and cons with a doctor.

Supplemental screening increases the early detection of breast cancer in dense breasts. And catching a breast cancer tumor early has a better outcome.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advised in 2016 that the current evidence wasn’t sufficient “to assess the balance of benefits and harms” of additional screening for women with dense breasts. Potential harms include:

possible false positives
biopsy infection
unnecessary treatment
psychological burden

The website of densebreast-info.org reviews the pros and cons of screening.

You can also find more screening information in the patient guide to screening options on the website of the nonprofit organization areyoudense.org.

“You can’t change your breast density, but you can monitor your breasts with a yearly 3-D mammogram and an ultrasound,” Joe Cappello, executive director of Are You Dense, Inc., told Healthline.

A 2017 article on breast cancer risk that analyzed 18,437 women with breast cancer suggested that reductions in breast tissue density could substantially reduce the numbers of breast cancer. But this would require new research developments.

The researchers propose that lowering breast density could hypothetically be achieved with the preventive use of tamoxifen citrate for those women in highest risk categories.

Tamoxifen is an anti-estrogen drug. A randomized clinical trial reported in 2004 found that tamoxifen treatment reduced breast density, especially in women younger than 45.

“Maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise,” an NCI spokesperson recommends. “These are two things you can do to reduce your breast cancer risk, although you can’t change your breast density or your genetic susceptibility to breast cancer.”

Years of research on caffeine and breast cancer have found that drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages doesn’t increase your risk of breast cancer.

This is the case for both younger and older women. But for reasons not fully explained, higher caffeine intake seems to lower the risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women.

A 2015 study of 1,090 women in Sweden with breast cancer found that coffee consumption wasn’t associated with overall disease prognosis. But women with estrogen-receptor-positive type tumors who drank two or more cups of coffee a day had a 49 percent decrease in cancer recurrence, compared to similar women who drank less coffee.

The authors of the 2015 study suggest that caffeine and caffeic acid have anticancer properties that reduce breast cancer growth by making estrogen-receptor tumors more sensitive to tamoxifen.

Ongoing research is looking at what properties of caffeine might affect breast cancer risk and breast cancer progression.

Caffeine doesn’t cause breast cancer, according to multiple research studies over decades.

There’s limited evidence of a small association between caffeine and breast density, which differs for premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Having dense breast tissue is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Women with dense breast tissue should have a yearly mammogram and consider having supplemental screening tests. Detecting breast cancer early leads to a better outcome.

Every woman is different, and is affected differently by the same cancer risk. The good news is that there’s now an increased awareness of breast cancer risks and breast density.

Many online resources can answer questions and put you in touch with other women coping with breast cancer risk or breast cancer, including areyoudense.org and densebreast-info.org. The National Cancer Institute has breast cancer information and a hotline and live chat to answer questions.

Coffee for mastopathy: to drink or not to drink

home
Articles
org/ListItem”>
Coffee with mastopathy: to drink or not to drink?

News
Articles

September 28, 2020

Mastopathy worries about a third of women on the planet. The chest with this disease often swells, becomes heavy, hurts. In most cases, the doctor prescribes medication with a strict diet. Coffee is often on the list of prohibited foods. How harmful is your favorite invigorating drink for mastopathy and should you give it up? We addressed this question to our expert, On Clinic mammologist-oncologist, doctor of medical sciences, doctor of the highest category Manambayeva Zukhra Alpysbaevna:

– If, according to the results of the diagnosis, the patient has mastopathy, breast lumps, cysts and fibrosis, it is better to refuse coffee, especially during the course of treatment. You can return to the use of an invigorating drink only after a stable remission. Why is it not recommended to drink coffee for breast diseases? The fact is that coffee contains a lot of the female hormone – estrogen. Hormonal imbalance, which is characterized by a deficiency of progesterone with an excess of estrogen, is one of the factors in the occurrence and development of mastopathy. An increase in estrogen levels leads to an active increase in the glandular tissue of the breast, and with it, the appearance of cysts and seals. Harm to the hormonal system is caused not only by caffeine, but also by a substance called theobromine. It provokes real hormonal surges, and the treatment of mastopathy is aimed at stabilizing the level of hormones and bringing it back to normal. Women often prefer to drink coffee with milk, sugar, syrup additives. This drink is high in calories. This contributes to weight gain, in which, again, an excessive amount of estrogen is produced. It is also better to give up chocolate, cocoa, carbonated drinks, strong black tea. It is important to drink at least 2 liters of water per day. I recommend that all women regularly undergo a comprehensive diagnosis of a mammologist and undergo timely treatment for breast diseases. Take care of yourself and be healthy!

⠀

Breast mammography: what day to do and how to prepare

09/21/2022 at 10:01 am

Society

1297

Mammography is the most important tool for screening and diagnosing breast cancer or other abnormalities. With a low-dose x-ray, it can show abnormal areas or tissue in a woman’s breasts and help detect serious illnesses before symptoms appear. Mammography is recommended to do from the 6th to the 12th day after the onset of menstruation.

Photo: Natalia Muschinkina

Preparation for the procedure

Mammography is a low-dose x-ray of the breast tissue, which is recommended for women over 40 years of age. There are certain rules that must be observed when preparing for the procedure.

If a woman is breastfeeding, pregnant or thinks she is pregnant, tell her doctor. He may recommend an ultrasound scan as a replacement, since everything is also quite clearly visible on it.

The procedure is recommended to be done during a certain period of the menstrual cycle – from the 6th to the 12th after the start of menstruation, because before the end of the cycle, the breasts can be very sensitive, which can make the examination painful.

If a lady has breast implants or has recently been vaccinated, be sure to tell the radiologist who performs the imaging.

On the day of the examination, you can follow the usual schedule – eat, drink and take medication. However, foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as coffee and energy drinks, should be avoided. They can cause breast tenderness, regardless of the menstrual cycle.

Do not use deodorant, perfume, body lotion or powder. These products may affect the accuracy of x-ray images. Immediately before the procedure, you must remove all jewelry and undress to the waist. The health worker will give you a hospital gown or a short sheet.

How a mammogram is performed

The procedure uses an x-ray machine that is designed to work with breast tissue only. It generates x-rays with small doses of radiation.

The examinee places her breast on a support plate attached to the X-ray machine. Then the technologist squeezes the chest with a parallel plate.

The machine emits x-rays that pass through the chest to a detector located on the opposite side. The detector sends electronic signals to a computer to form a digital image. This process is then repeated for the other breast.

Photo: pixabay.com

Breast compression is a necessary part of the digital examination to minimize movement as it can cause the x-rays to be blurry. The compression also flattens the shape of the breast and the beams can take a shorter path to the detector. This allows for a lower radiation dose and improves image quality.

Some women find the procedure uncomfortable due to pressure on the breast tissue. However, the discomfort does not last long.

Types of mammography

Doctors use this type of x-ray to look for early signs of breast cancer before symptoms develop. This is called Screening Mammography .

Health care providers also use this method to look for any abnormalities if the woman already has symptoms such as swelling, pain, nipple discharge, or breast skin changes. This is called a diagnostic mammogram.

Apart from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of disease. While cancer treatments continue to improve and reduce mortality, early diagnosis through screening has a major impact on patient survival.

Screening mammography can usually take 15 to 20 minutes. The diagnostic part may take longer due to the additional images required.

Frequency of the procedure

Doctors recommend an annual screening procedure for all women starting at age 40. Prior to this, girls between the ages of 20 and 40 must undergo an annual clinical breast examination by a gynecologist. Women aged 50 to 74 are recommended to have this type of x-ray every two years.

Photo: pixabay.com

Women with a family history of chest disease, other risk factors, or unusual breast symptoms may need more frequent x-rays or other tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging.

Indications for mammography

The procedure may be indicated as a screening for women who may not have any symptoms.

Photo: freepik.com

It may also be done as a diagnostic test in those who have breast or axillary swelling, thickening or swelling of the breast or part of it, thickening of the skin of the breast, changes in the size or shape of the breast, a feeling of heaviness in the chest, nipple retraction or discharge of these, pain and itching in the chest, redness, peeling, rash or irritation of the breast or nipples.

All women with a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer and inherited genetic mutations should be screened annually. All women who have previously been diagnosed with benign (non-cancerous) glandular diseases, such as atypical ductal hyperplasia or lobular neoplasia, should be checked periodically. In addition, everyone who has very dense breasts is at risk.

Contraindications

Age under 35 is a relative contraindication for this type of examination. When complaints arise, the patient is usually recommended alternative methods. But with clear suspicions of oncology, it can be used at this age.

For the most part, young women do not undergo such an examination, not because it is dangerous, but because of the high density of breast tissue. This may simply interfere with objective research.

If there are implants in the breast, then the procedure is still carried out, but with great care, and it is better to do an ultrasound. An absolute contraindication is only pregnancy and breastfeeding.

What diseases mammography detects

This is one of the best radiographic methods available today for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. It helps to detect most types of cancer at least a year before the patient herself feels the disease. Also, this method increases the degree of detection of small abnormal tissue growths in the gland. It is effective in detecting cysts, calcifications and benign tumors. Currently, this is the most effective method of diagnosis for all possible abnormalities of the mammary glands.

But this technique does not directly detect cancer. It is used to identify possible abnormalities, which can then be checked with a biopsy to determine if they are malignant or benign.

How the doctor evaluates the result

After the radiologist describes the images, the doctor reading the mammogram will look for various types of changes in the gland, such as small white spots called calcifications, abnormal areas called growths, and other suspicious features, which may be signs of diseases, as well as assess the density of the gland.

Photo: Natalia Muschinkina

The doctor may compare the result with earlier scans.

What indicators does the doctor look at

Calcifications. These are salt formations in the tissue of the gland, the replacement of altered or dead cells with calcium salts due to inflammation. They are not always found on palpation. By themselves, they do not pose a threat to health, but require careful research to understand what to do. This is due to the fact that such formations can be a signal for the development of serious diseases, including cancer.

Neoplasms. A benign neoplasm, or dishormonal hyperplasia of the mammary glands, it is also mastopathy, occurs in many women. This pathology is often associated with hormonal disorders. They worsen the water-electrolyte balance, and as a result, there is a feeling of pain and seals, and then a benign neoplasm develops. The prognosis of dyshormonal glandular hyperplasia is positive if treatment is started early.

Breast density. This is mammographic density – how the breast looks on a mammogram. It can show different types of gland tissue that cannot be seen or felt during a clinical examination by a physician: adipose, glandular, and connective. It has nothing to do with breast size or firmness. The density of these tissues is very important because women with dense breasts are at an increased risk of missing the onset of cancer.

Diagnostic results. X-rays are taken by a professional radiologist who writes the report. Results can sometimes be obtained on the same day if you came for the procedure on your own initiative in a private clinic, or after a few days if the radiologist must first send them to the attending physician for clarification of the diagnosis, although this may vary.

The description of the results contains basic information and is usually easy to understand in general – it informs about the norm or the need for additional diagnostics.

It is worth noting that most of the results indicate the norm or benign changes. Fewer than one in 10 women is scheduled for the necessary additional tests and examinations due to suspected cancer.

Authors: