Mammography Study

1973 - Institutional Event

Even though heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, breast cancer is the disease many women fear most. As in many cancers, early detection can greatly increase the chance of surviving breast cancer. That’s why mammography, the process of using low-dose X-rays to examine the breast, has become an important tool in the fight against breast cancer.

Breast radiology was invented in the early 1900s. But not until the 1960s did doctors begin using mammography widely as a diagnostic and screening tool. Still, calling for random screening mammograms for all women remained controversial.

To determine whether routine screening mammograms would save lives, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute enrolled 280,000 women in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project in 1973. Each woman received an annual screening by mammography as well as physical examination. After five years, the test proved mammography to be superior in detecting breast cancers. Later studies reinforced these findings.

With the rise of managed care in the ’70s and ’80s, states began to mandate certain benefits for preventive care. Many insurers argued against such requirements. But in 1991 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina broke ranks with other insurers to support mandated benefits.

Information provided by BCBSNC.

The Facts About Breast Cancer

Among women in the United States, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer (other than skin cancer) and second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths. American women have a one in eight chance of developing the disease in their lifetime and a one in 33 chance of dying from it. Breast cancer also occurs in men but at a much lower rate.

While mammograms can’t detect all cancers, they generally can find much smaller, earlier stage cancers than a breast lump that a doctor or patient can feel. The number of lives saved through screening mammography is hard to measure, but some estimate that breast cancer deaths have been reduced by 20 to 30 percent. The last 30 years have also brought major advances in treatment of the disease, improving survival rates further.

Today, the National Cancer Institute recommends that women in their 40s and older have mammograms every one to two years. Women who are younger than 40 and have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their health care provider whether and how often to have mammograms. The NCI also stresses the importance of regular self-examinations.

Since 2001, the separate and independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation has coordinated the Breast Health Project, promoting good health, early detection and breast cancer awareness. The Button Chair has become a focal point of the project. Originally created by a college student, the chair is covered with buttons collected from North Carolina women who have battled breast cancer. The Button Chair has since evolved into a traveling exhibit. Today it’s available to organizations working to educate the public about breast health through training, fund-raising events and awareness campaigns.

Information provided by BCBSNC.

See how the Button Chair is spreading messages of hope and survival.