Helping Women Make Choices About Mammograms

NEW HAVEN — The Women’s Center for Breast Health at the Hospital of Saint Raphael is hosting an event on April 29 to help women evaluate recent recommendations on breast-cancer screening. This free event — titled “Do I Really Need a Mammogram?” — will feature presentations by a breast-imaging specialist, a breast cancer surgeon, and an obstetrician/gynecologist.

The “Do I Really Need a Mammogram?” event takes place at the hospital’s Cronin Auditorium on Thursday, April 29, from 5:30 to 8 pm, with dinner provided.

New guidelines issued last year by the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that annual mammograms for breast-cancer screening be deferred until age 50. But experts have disputed the guidelines due to breast-cancer trends in younger women of color, among other factors.

The Saint Raphael’s seminar will address the new guidelines and help women determine at what age they should begin screenings.

Saint Raphael’s Women’s Center for Breast Health in 2009 was one of the first breast centers in the nation to win accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and has also been recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

The Women’s Center for Breast Health, headed by three female cancer physicians, was established at Saint Raphael’s in 2007 to bring together specialists across a range of disciplines including surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology (breast imaging), genetic screening, reconstructive surgery, and support services.

Registration for the April 29 event is required; sign up online at www.srhs.org/education or by calling 203-789-3916.