MAMI Marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month With a Call for Yearly Screening

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography), the breast imaging centre in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, is using it to encourage women to put an annual screening in the diary. The centre's message is straightforward: yearly mammograms from the age of 40, regular self-checks, and prompt imaging whenever something in the breast changes. With spring well under way and the year heading into its final stretch, it is a good time for women who have let their screening slip to book before the December break.

MAMI offers mammograms, breast ultrasound and image-guided breast biopsies in one department, with access to experienced radiologists, mammographers and modern equipment. It is the only unit in South Africa to have been awarded Breast Imaging Center of Excellence status by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

Why the centre recommends screening every year from 40

Recommendations on when to start screening differ, but MAMI points to the consensus from numerous studies that annual mammography from the age of 40 saves the most lives. Although the peak age for breast cancer is 55 to 60, the centre reports an increasing trend of breast cancers in younger women, and cancers in younger patients are more likely to be aggressive and fast-growing. Starting at 40 aims to catch as many cancers as possible in the at-risk group.

Screening every year, rather than every second or third year, matters because some aggressive cancers can grow significantly within a year. Regular imaging also lets radiologists compare one year's pictures with the next and pick up the most subtle changes in breast tissue. According to MAMI, most breast cancers today are found when they are smaller than 2cm, largely thanks to mammograms and ultrasound, and the five-year survival rate for those patients is 90%.

What a modern mammogram involves

Some women put off a Mammogram because of what they remember or have heard about older machines. MAMI uses 3D mammogram machines that rely on tomosynthesis to obtain a detailed scan with minimal compression. The centre describes modern mammograms as pain free and very fast, so any discomfort is brief. The radiation dose is very low and considered safe, even with yearly scans, and the lighter compression will not damage breast tissue or implants.

MAMI also addresses a common worry directly: mammograms do not cause thyroid cancer, and a thyroid shield is unnecessary and may affect the quality of the images.

Cost is another reason women delay. The centre notes that most medical aids pay for screening from screening benefits rather than medical savings, even on a basic hospital plan. Patients can call with their medical aid number to confirm cover, or ask for a cash price.

Know the changes that need attention

Annual screening works best alongside awareness of how the breasts normally look and feel. MAMI describes a lump as the single most important symptom of breast cancer, often feeling like a pea, stone or marble under the skin. Any new lump should be checked with a mammogram and/or ultrasound straight away, even though the vast majority of lumps turn out to be benign growths, cysts or normal lumpy tissue.

Other signs that should always be assessed with imaging include skin thickening or dimpling that looks like orange peel, a new asymmetry where one breast sits higher or has a dent, a bloody or clear nipple discharge (especially one that appears on its own), a nipple that has recently pulled inwards, and a peeling, dry rash on the nipple or areola.

A monthly Breast Examination at home is described by the centre as an extremely valuable tool, although many women find it difficult because their breasts are naturally lumpy. MAMI's advice is not to stress about that: keep up the annual imaging and see a gynaecologist or GP, who will also perform a manual examination.

Higher risk and what comes next

Family history of breast or ovarian cancer is among the most important risk factors, along with being overweight after menopause, taking certain hormone replacement therapies and not having had children. Women at high risk may need more intensive screening, such as annual MRI, or genetic testing, and are encouraged to discuss screening options with their doctor.

When imaging finds something that needs a closer look, MAMI performs breast biopsies under ultrasound or stereotactic guidance. Biopsies are minimally invasive, done under local anaesthetic and usually take 20 to 30 minutes, after which the patient can go home. They either rule out cancer, giving peace of mind, or confirm it and identify the type so that treatment can be planned.

The unit is part of a multidisciplinary breast cancer team of breast surgeons, reconstructive surgeons, oncologists, pathologists and radiologists. A patient diagnosed at MAMI is referred directly to this team, and the centre continues to assist with staging, localisation, monitoring chemotherapy and follow-up. MAMI is also the only practice offering breast cancer cryoablation, a treatment that freezes selected small tumours as an alternative to surgery.

Accreditation behind the service

MAMI is the new face of the Parklane Women's Imaging Centre, with the same staff, equipment and radiologists in a new department at Melrose Arch. The Parklane breast unit was the first internationally accredited breast imaging unit in Africa and the first and only department in South Africa to achieve ACR gold seal accreditation, awarded for mammography in 2017, MRI in 2018, stereotactic biopsy in 2020 and breast ultrasound in 2021. The ACR designated the department a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence in 2022.

The practice is led by diagnostic radiologist and managing director Dr Peter Schoub, who has focused on breast radiology for more than 15 years, holds the European Diploma of Breast Imaging and is an honorary lecturer in the department of radiology at the University of the Witwatersrand.

For women in Johannesburg, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a timely prompt to book Mammograms for themselves and to remind mothers, sisters and friends to do the same. Bookings can be made by phone, email or through the centre's online appointment form, and more information is available at https://mammogram.co.za/.

About MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography)

MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography Inc.) is a breast imaging centre at 1st Floor, 10 Melrose Boulevard, Melrose Arch, Johannesburg. It offers 3D mammography, breast ultrasound, ultrasound and stereotactic guided breast biopsies and breast cancer cryoablation, along with bone density and body composition scans. The breast unit holds American College of Radiology accreditation for mammography, MRI, stereotactic biopsy and breast ultrasound, and has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. It works within a multidisciplinary breast cancer team and is led by diagnostic radiologist Dr Peter Schoub.

Media Contact
MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography)
Email: info@melrosemammo.co.za
Phone: +27 11 484 3149
Website: https://mammogram.co.za/