Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is most treatable when it’s found early — often before you can feel it or notice any symptoms. That’s what makes screening for breast cancer with annual mammograms so powerful. It doesn’t just detect cancer sooner. In many cases, it means smaller tumors, fewer treatments, and significantly higher survivability.

Siteman Cancer Center is a leader in breast cancer screenings. At multiple locations, including a mobile unit we bring patients the expertise of sub-specialized breast radiologists, the region’s most advanced imaging technology, and a direct path to a breast cancer specialist if something is found.

Whether you are due for your first mammogram, tracking your family history, or unsure which test is right for you, our team will guide you to the right next step.

Breast Cancer Screening at Siteman

Breast cancer is one of the most screenable cancers, with tools that can find disease well before it causes symptoms.

Siteman Cancer Center leads the region in breast cancer screening, helping patients:

• Understand their personal risk and the right age to start screening
• Access the full range of screening options — from routine 3D mammography to breast MRI for patients at higher risk, plus mobile mammography closer to home
• Receive results read by sub-specialized WashU Medicine breast imaging experts
• Connect directly with a WashU Medicine breast cancer specialist at Siteman if screening reveals a concern, often within days

Why Is Breast Cancer Screening So Important?

Regular screening is the most effective tool available for finding breast cancer early, when it is smallest and most treatable. A mammogram can often detect a tumor years before it can be felt during a physical exam.

When breast cancer is found at an early, localized stage, 5-year survivability is high — more than 99%.

Screening also gives your care team more options. Cancers caught early are more likely to be treated with less extensive surgery, and are less likely to require aggressive chemotherapy.

What If I Don’t Have Symptoms?

Most early breast cancer causes no symptoms at all — no lump you can feel, no pain, no visible changes. That is exactly why screening matters: it is designed to find disease before your body gives you any warning something is wrong.

When breast cancer is caught early through screening:

• Treatment is significantly more effective
• Survivability is substantially higher
• More treatment options are available, including less invasive surgery
• Treatment is often less intensive, with fewer side effects

Know your body and report any new lump, skin change, nipple discharge, or persistent pain to your physician right away — but don’t wait for a symptom to start screening.

When Should I Start Breast Cancer Screening?

All women at average risk should be screened starting at age 40. Siteman Cancer Center follows NCCN guidelines on when women should begin screening mammograms and frequency of them over their lifetime.

But your care depends on your unique needs. If you have higher risk, you will need to begin mammograms earlier. That’s why sharing your health and family history with your ob-gyn and primary care doctor is so important. They can help you determine when to start begin screenings.

Average Risk: Start Screening at Age 40

You are generally considered average risk if you have no personal history of breast cancer, no known genetic mutation that raises your risk, and no history of radiation therapy to the chest at a young age. If this describes you, talk with your physician about starting mammograms at age 40.

Higher Risk: Start Screening Earlier

Talk to your physician about starting screening before age 40, and about adding breast MRI to your mammogram, if you:

• Carry a BRCA1, BRCA2, or other gene mutation that raises breast cancer risk
• Have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) with breast or ovarian cancer, especially if diagnosed before menopause
• Had radiation therapy to the chest between ages 10 and 30, such as treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma
• Have a personal history of breast cancer, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), or atypical hyperplasia

Breast Cancer Screening Tests

The right screening approach depends on your age, personal risk, and breast tissue density. Your physician can help you choose.

Mammography — Including 3D Mammography (Tomosynthesis)

Mammography is the standard, most widely studied screening test for breast cancer. It uses low-dose X-rays to create images of breast tissue that can reveal a tumor before it can be felt.

At Siteman, screening mammograms are performed with 3D mammography, also called tomosynthesis, which captures multiple layers of breast tissue instead of a single flat image. This can improve detection and reduce unnecessary follow-up calls, especially for women with dense breast tissue.

How often: Every year or every other year for average-risk patients, depending on the guideline your physician follows.

Breast MRI

Breast MRI uses magnetic fields rather than radiation to produce highly detailed images of breast tissue. It is more sensitive than mammography, which is why it is used as an addition to — not a replacement for — annual mammograms in patients at higher risk.

How often: Annually, alongside a mammogram, for patients at high lifetime risk, including most BRCA carriers.

Breast Ultrasound

Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to examine breast tissue, and can be used alongside mammography for patients with dense breasts or to evaluate an area of concern found on a mammogram.

Clinical Breast Exam

A clinical breast exam is a physical exam performed by your physician or care team. It complements — but does not replace — screening mammography.

Breast Cancer Screening at Siteman

All radiology technologists at Siteman hold advanced certification in breast mammography, with specific training in imaging patients with breast implants and dense tissue. That expertise, combined with sub-specialized radiologists reading every image, means clear answers the first time. If your mammogram or breast MRI reveals a concern, you don’t have to search for a specialist on your own. Your Siteman imaging team connects you directly with a WashU Medicine breast cancer specialist for next steps

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you are due for a routine mammogram, concerned about a family history, or unsure which screening test is right for you, our care coordinators will guide you. You never need a physician referral to schedule a screening mammogram.