Holy Family Hospital and its team of board-certified radiologists provide advanced breast imaging services, from full-field digital mammography and breast MRI to cutting-edge technologies such as 3-D mammography.
Breast Care
Breast Care Center at Holy Family Hospital
Digital mammography is the most effective method of early detection in the fight against breast cancer. This technology offers women a number of benefits, including improved image quality, reduced procedure time and enhanced patient comfort.
Our breast care services include:
- Low-dose mammography
- Ultrasound (including diagnostic breast ultrasound)
- Stereotactic and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and core biopsy
- 3-D mammography (offered at the Methuen campus)
Flexible appointments are available, including evenings and Saturday hours. A physician referral for a screening mammogram is not required.
Holy Family Hospital possesses a valid Commonwealth of Massachusetts Mammography License and Certificate of Inspection from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and is accredited by the American College of Radiology. Holy Family is also accredited by the MQSA – Mammography Quality Standards Act and the FDA – Food and Drug Administration – Radiation Control Program.
Mammograms
One out of eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. That’s why breast exams are such an important aid in early detection, especially for women over 35. A mammography exam can detect a tumor long before you can feel it. Such early detection of breast cancer can save your life. It can also give you an opportunity to choose between treatment options.
Mammogram and breast examination guidelines:
- If you are between the ages of 20 and 40, you should perform a breast self-examination every month and have a breast examination by a physician every 1-3 years starting at 20 and every year starting at 40 and more frequently if you have a strong family history of breast cancer.
- Early detection of breast cancer from regular screening mammograms substantially reduces breast cancer mortality.
- For women of average risk, the American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging recommends annual screening mammography starting at age 40. Women at higher-than-average risk should, in general, start surveillance with digital mammography (DM) at an earlier age and consider supplemental screening as well.
Because breast cancer is the most common nonskin cancer diagnosis in women (second only to lung cancer), every woman should consider herself at risk. However, according to the American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging, numerous medical, hereditary and lifestyle factors may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. They include:
- Older age
- Family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, especially in first- or second-degree relatives
- Personal history of breast cancer
- Older age at menopause
- Younger age at menarche
- No full-term pregnancies
- Obesity
- Personal or family history of certain generic mutations including BRCA1 and BRCA2
- Dense breast tissue on mammography
Since most breast cancers are discovered by women themselves, it is important for you to know what to look for:
- A lump or thickening in the breast that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- A change in breast shape
- Discharge from the nipple
- Skin changes (color, texture, consistency)
- Puckering or dimpling
- Nipple inversion (pulling inward)
- Swelling in your armpit
MEET THE TEAM / FIND A PROVIDER
Breast Care Team
Catherine Tucker, MD
Breast surgeon
John Niceforo, MD
Lead interpreting radiologist
