OCTOBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 35
On average, a woman has a 1 in 8, or about 12.5%, chance of developing breast cancer over her lifetime. (Getty Images)
LIFE-SAVING EXAM
HOW YOU’RE SCREENED FOR BREAST CANCER DEPENDS ON YOUR RISK SCORE
BY BERNADETTE STARZEE
Breast cancer screening saves lives.
“Studies have shown that early detection of breast cancer decreases mortality by 15
to 40 percent,” says Dr. Nina D’Abreo, medical director of the breast health program
at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center-Long Island.
But while experts agree on the need for breast cancer screening, screening guidelines
have become increasingly complex in recent years. Organizations have released
different, sometimes contradictory guidelines, and recommendations have become
considerably more individualized based on a woman’s risk factors.
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