Death rates from breast cancer have declined over the past two decades, a trend that researchers attribute to improved screening and greater awareness. Mammography remains central to early detection efforts.
“Mammography is the best detection for early breast cancer,” said Pattie Barnes, a mammographer at St. Joseph’s/Candler. “It’s the standard of care.”
A mammogram uses radiographic imaging to identify changes in breast tissue. St. Joseph’s/Candler provides 3D digital mammograms for both screening and diagnostic purposes. This technology captures multiple images from various angles to create a detailed three-dimensional image.
Medical guidelines recommend annual breast cancer screenings for women starting at age 40, unless there is a family history of the disease. For example, if a woman’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 45, screenings should begin at age 35.
“I know people have that stigma in their mind that it hurts or it’s painful, but we are finding things – three, four, five milliliters – on mammograms that we never found before,” Barnes said. “We are keeping patients from having huge lumpectomies, and we are finding it before it can spread.”
St. Joseph’s/Candler offers several locations for scheduling screening mammograms:
– Telfair Pavilion (5353 Reynolds Street, Savannah)
– Telfair Breast Imaging Center – Eisenhower (527 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah)
– St. Joseph’s Hospital Imaging (11705 Mercy Blvd., Savannah)
– SJ/C Imaging Center – Pooler (101 St. Joseph’s/Candler Drive, Pooler)
– SJ/C Imaging Center – Bluffton (10-A Oak Forest Road, Bluffton)
In addition to its fixed sites, St. Joseph’s/Candler operates a Mobile Mammography Unit known as the “Screen Machine.” This service is available in Savannah and surrounding rural areas and accepts most insurance plans. Financial assistance is offered to women who are at least 40 years old, uninsured, and meet certain criteria.
According to St. Joseph’s/Candler representatives, receiving a mammogram through the Screen Machine is confidential and maintains the same quality of care as other imaging centers.
To find out where the Mobile Mammography Unit will be located next or to schedule an appointment by phone, individuals can visit the organization’s events page or call 912-819-6800.
