UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 17, Page 8
January 23, 1992
Mammography unit to visit

     Mammography of Delaware, a mobile unit that is a cooperative
venture between the state and the Medical Center of Delaware, will
be on campus from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, and Friday,
Feb. 28. It's a quick, convenient way to have a mammogram and,
because early detection is critical in fighting breast cancer, it's
a procedure women can't afford to ignore.
     The mobile unit was on campus one day last semester and one of
the women who used the service, Pat McCloskey, a records analyst in
the Morris Library, said her experience with what was her first
mammogram was a positive one.
     "I'd recommend the unit to anyone who has mammograms on a
regular basis and especially to those who have never had one. The
location is convenient and the whole experience took less than half
an hour," she said.
     Kate McKenzie, marketing coordinator for the unit, said the
mammogram itself takes only 10 minutes. The unit can accommodate
from 30-40 women a day.
     Jayne Fernsler, associate professor of nursing who coordinates
oncology nursing for master's degree students, said the impetus for
the mobile mammography unit was "the appallingly high mortality
rate from breast cancer in the state of Delaware."
     From 1986-1989, Delaware had the highest mortality rate from
breast cancer in the country, McKenzie said.
     Fernsler said, "The reason for the high death rate was that
the disease was being diagnosed at a late stage. The need for
earlier detection was apparent."
     Fernsler serves on state and national committees for the
American Cancer Society (ACS) and the state advisory council for
cancer control. She said a mammogram is important because the
procedure can detect breast cancers too small to be felt-in some
cases three to five years earlier.
     The van is staffed by highly trained female technologists, and
all mammograms are read at the end of the day by a board-certified
radiologist. Results are sent to the patient's own health-care
provider.
     The van is equipped with state-of-the-art, low-dose imaging
equipment and, Fernsler said, the amount of radiation from a
mammogram is very light when compared to the amount needed for
other types of diagnostic studies.
     The ACS recommends that women aged 35-39, who have never had
a mammogram, need to have one to establish a baseline for
comparisons later. Women ages 40-49 should have one every one to
two years depending on their health. Women over the age of 50
should have one every year as the risk of breast cancer increases
with age.
     According to statistics from the ACS the five-year survival
rate for localized breast cancer has risen from 78 percent in the
l940s to 91 percent today and, if breast cancer is non-invasive the
survival rate approaches l00 percent.
     Depending on a woman's health insurance coverage, maximum cost
of a mammogram is $62, McKenzie said. The Office of Women's Affairs
can provide information for University employees on costs and
procedures, such as physician referrals, needed to take advantage
of the mobile unit.
     "We're really hoping to reach people who know that they should
have a mammogram but who say 'Well, I'm awfully busy and I just
can't get out to have it done, but I'll get around to it,'"
Fernsler said.
     "We really hope that supervisors will encourage their staff to
take the time to have a mammogram done. In harsh terms, the time it
will take a woman away from the office to have a mammogram is well
worth it in terms of time and dollars compared to the cost of
trying to treat a more advanced disease."
     "We tell women they have to think of themselves," McKenzie
added. "In addition to a mammogram, we urge women to practice
Breast Self Exam (BSE) monthly, to be familiar with their bodies
and to call their physicians if they find something that is
abnormal for them.
     The Office of Women's Affairs, which encourages all female
employees to take advantage of the unit, is taking reservations for
the mammogram screening. Deadline to register is Friday, Feb. 14.
     The mobile unit will be parked in the General Services
Building parking lot Feb. 27 and in the Daugherty Hall, Main
Street, parking lot Feb. 28.
     To register or to obtain more information, call the Office of
Women's Affairs at 831-8063.