Through puzzling cancer trends, screening remains key tool

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Breast cancer is rising in women under the age of 50, but survival rates are increasing too, according to UVA Health experts.

One UVA Health expert says we can count this as a win, but we must keep pushing for proper care.

The first step to helping women with breast cancer is early detection.

“Increasing rates of breast cancer in young women is certainly something that’s alarming,” Radiologist Doctor Carrie Rochman said.

Dr. Rochman says there is no clear reason explaining why younger women are seeing higher cancer rates while also seeing higher survival rates.

“I really suspect that there is also something happening that we just aren’t aware of yet,” Dr. Rochman said.

No matter the cause, encouragement of early screening as saved many lives, Dr. Rochman says. More screening could at least in part explain higher survival rates; earlier detection means earlier treatment.

Mammograms using three-dimensional imaging are particularly useful for finding cancer, but they can also detect other things that turn out not to be cancer, leading to less false positives.

Dr. Rochman says doctors cannot fight cancer alone. Filling out community surveys and speaking to healthcare providers can help improve outcomes for futures patients.

“I need to listen to the community and also hear from them what they need from us because sometimes those things are the same, but they may not be,” Dr. Rochman said. ”That partnership is really key to figuring out why these disparities exist and then how we can tackle them.”

Keeping track of your family history is a good way to stay on top of things, Dr Rochman adds.

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