Studies have long shown that when it comes to breast cancer, early detection is the key to survival. A recent study found that women who had been regular with their scheduled screening mammography appointments before a cancer diagnosis had a 49% lower risk of breast cancer mortality and a 50% lower risk of breast cancer death within 10 years of diagnosis (Radiology, March 2, 2021). This data points to what has long been held by experts, including the physicians at Arizona Diagnostic Radiology (AZDRG), RadNet and Breastlink, that the sooner a doctor finds a woman’s cancer, the more likely she i ..read more

Question: Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of ads online promoting breast ultrasound as an alternative to mammography. Is it true that I can have a breast ultrasound instead of a mammogram and still get accurate results? The general answer to this question is no. According to Dr. Jason McKellop, Medical Director at Breastlink Tarzana, as well as a board-certified radiologist with fellowship training in breast imaging, breast ultrasound, although a powerful imaging utility, is a supplement and not a substitute for mammography screening. “There are findings seen on mammogram that are eit ..read more

When it comes to breast cancer, early detection is the key to survival. It has long been held by experts, including the physicians at RadNet and Breastlink, that the sooner a doctor finds a woman’s cancer, the more likely she is to survive. The connection between mammogram screenings and breast cancer survival rates has been evaluated in multiple studies, and most have demonstrated that early mammogram screenings save lives. There is a new study that has recently come out from a research team based in Sweden and London. They analyzed data from more than half a million women who were eligible f ..read more

The last time the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released guidelines on mammogram screenings it was 2016 and the recommendations created a great deal of controversy. For the most part, the debate has centered on when a women should start yearly mammogram screenings. While most experts have long held that women should begin screening at age 40, the USPSTF had suggested that women wait until they are 50 to begin and then, only get a mammogram every two years. A recent study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment brings into question the second half of the 5-year old US ..read more

Did you know that prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men? And yet, it is highly treatable if detected early. Likewise, Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH), affects about 50 percent of men between the ages of 51 and 60, and up to 90 percent of men older than 90. Why are we talking about prostate disease on a platform that is usually dedicated to women’s issues? Most of us have important men in our lives – fathers, partners, sons, brothers, uncles and friends. Their health matters to us, and it affects us in some pretty significant ways. There’s a lot we can do to help the men in ..read more

    2020 has been rough for everyone, to say the least. While it is in the rearview mirror, we are still feeling its after effects. The beginning of the year is typically the time when we all have ambitious New Year’s resolutions — until we abandon them at some point because we simply cannot keep up with them. I am one of those people. My past (failed) resolutions included learning a foreign language, losing weight, and exercising more. I no longer make resolutions because I realize they are unrealistic for me. I do, however, think that the beginning of the year is a great time to r ..read more

According to several recent studies, a secondary health crisis seems to be on the rise in this country in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, one that may unfold over the next several months and even years. It’s not the after-effects of Covid-19 (although those also seem numerous and still vastly unknown), but a crisis caused by delays in essential healthcare screenings and management. An article printed in The New York Times reported that nearly half of all American adults have skipped or delayed some kind of medical care since the beginning of Covid (Sep 11, 2020). And according to a compa ..read more

If you walk into Dr. Shawndeep Tung’s office at Breastlink Orange, you can expect to come out with answers. Fellowship trained in Breast Surgical Oncology at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Dr. Tung has cultivated a passion for helping women fight breast cancer and consistently advocates that patients be fully informed about their healthcare. “My patients are fighting two battles: One with the cancer and one within their own minds,” Dr. Tung says. “My goal is to be able to provide a patient with as much information and support as possible, so when leaving my office they are less anxi ..read more

Health organizations drop recommendations for Breast Self-Exams and instead promote Breast Self Awareness. For over 70 years health care professionals have been advising women to perform regular breast self-exams as a critical screening tool for breast cancer detection. Recently however, there have been conflicting recommendations, leaving patients confused about the whole matter. According to Circuelle Foundation, a Florida-based breast health education group, breast self-exams were first introduced to women in the U.S. in 1930. The American Cancer Society (ACS) launched an awareness campaign ..read more

Last month, Allergen issued a world-wide recall on their textured breast implants. This followed a discovery by the FDA of a direct link between the implants and a rare type of cancer. According to FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, Allergen’s textured implants “appeared to be directly linked to significant patient harm, including death.” While the link between the textured implants and cancer was first identified in 2011, it was only recently that there has been a significant increase in known cases of Implant Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), according to th ..read more