Breast Health Center
The Breast Health Center has moved!
As of January 6, 2025, the Breast Health Center will be located on the ground floor of the Robert and Lena Shell Medical Pavilion, 1340 Hal Greer Blvd, Building 2, Huntington, WV 25701.
Mammograms and breast ultrasound are performed on site. Services range from screening mammograms for women with no signs of breast cancer to evaluating women with abnormal mammograms or symptoms, such as a lump that might suggest a benign or malignant finding.
Appointments are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, 7:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Breast Health Center is a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence through the American College of Radiology.
Mammogram guidelines
The American Cancer Society recommends that women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual screening mammograms if they wish to do so. Women who have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer (for example, because of a family history of the disease or because they carry a known mutation in either the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene) should talk with their healthcare providers about whether to have mammograms before age 40 and how often to have them. Programs are available to help you determine your cancer risk.
Getting a high-quality screening mammogram and having a clinical breast exam (an exam done by a healthcare provider) on a regular basis are the most effective ways to detect breast cancer early. As with any screening test, screening mammograms have both benefits and limitations. For example, some cancers cannot be detected by a screening mammogram but may be found by a clinical breast exam.
Breast exams
Checking one’s own breasts for lumps or other unusual changes is called a breast self-exam, or BSE. This type of exam cannot replace regular screening mammograms or clinical breast exams. In clinical trials, BSE alone was not found to help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer.
When examining your own breasts, remember that breast changes can occur because of pregnancy, aging, menopause, during menstrual cycles and/or when taking birth control pills or other hormones. It is normal for breasts to feel a little lumpy and uneven. Also, it is common for breasts to be swollen and tender right before or during a menstrual period. If you notice any unusual changes in your breasts, please contact your healthcare provider.
3-D mammography
The Breast Health Center offers 3-D mammography, the latest technology in the battle against breast cancer, which takes advantage of all of the benefits of digital mammography to create unparalleled, high-quality images.
3-D mammography produces three-dimensional images that reveal the inner architecture of the breast, follow the shape of the breast tissue to create a stack of thin high-resolution images that provide clear, more precise images. The quality of these images enables abnormalities to be seen early, when breast cancer is most treatable.
Benefits of 3-D mammography
- Improved accuracy and detection
- Clearer images that show structures in the breast and their spatial relationship with the surrounding breast tissue
- Ability to detect breast cancer very early
- Mammograms can be performed quickly
- Confidence to rule out cancer without recalling the patient for further study
Our focus is on health, healing and hope. Our caring staff is on hand to answer questions and make you feel as comfortable as possible during your mammogram or other procedures.