NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — If you’re above the age of 40 and you’re not getting screened for breast cancer right now, you should be – according to Riverside nurse Christine Johnson.
Riverside is now home to a brand-new mammogram machine that offers more high-quality images for earlier detection, but officials say they’ve noticed screening visits have declined because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s very problematic," Johnson said. "One in eight women can contract breast cancer in their lifetime."
She said people shouldn't be concerned about coming to hospitals for important procedures.
"I know that it’s scary to come into a hospital setting because it is considered a high risk area - but the hospitals, the diagnostic centers are all following the guidelines, and it’s a very safe environment for you to come and get your screenings,” Johnson said.
Riverside’s diagnostic centers in Hampton and Newport News are among the first in the country to offer a new, wide-angle 3D mammogram.
According to a press release, the new machine captures more detail, which means earlier cancer detection. Riverside doctors say they are finding smaller and earlier cancers.
Johnson said early detection is critical in finding cancer before it spreads.
“The problem with waiting is, if there is in fact cancer there, then it can continue to grow and develop," she said. "If you let it get more advanced, it can get invasive and potentially spread to the rest of your body.”
And people aren’t just putting off screenings for breast cancer.
“I do see that there’s less people getting colonoscopies and biopsies," Johnson said. "And prostate screenings, everything.”
Johnson said finding cancer, early, could mean saving a life.
“Despite your fear about COVID, go ahead and come out and get your screening," she said. "People think they can put it off until next year or whatever but ultimately that can be dangerous.”