The role of imaging in women's preventive health
May is Women's Health Month — a timely opportunity to consider the vital impact of disease prevention in the female population, including the essential role of advanced imaging in early detection of some of the most common and high morbidity diseases that affect women.
Breast cancer screening
Breast cancer impacts 1 in 8 women in their lifetime, with 1 in 6 diagnosed in their 40s. It remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women. There is well-established clinical data supporting the efficacy of routine screening mammography in reducing breast cancer mortality. The American College of Radiology (ACR) recommends annual screening mammograms for women of average risk to begin at age 40 and continue annually until age 80. Advanced 3D/tomosynthesis technology is the standard of care for screening mammography and has been shown to improve the cancer detection rate. In fact, annual 3D screening mammography can help detect breast cancer up to three years before a lump can be felt by a physician or patient. Early detection stage 0 or stage 1 has a nearly 100% five-year survival rate, making annual screening an imperative for women.
Osteoporosis screening
Osteoporosis affects about 1 in 5 women over age 50, and 80% of the approximately 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lists several risks associated with osteoporotic fractures, including stress, subsequent fractures, loss of mobility and diminished performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) and death. Only 40-60% of patients who sustain an osteoporotic hip fracture will return to their pre-fracture level of mobility and ADLs.
DEXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) is a low-dose radiation exam that provides a patient's bone mineral density (BMD). The study is typically performed on the hip or lumbar spine and takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
Clinical guidelines advise performing bone density testing in all women 65 and older and sooner in women between 50-64 with at least one risk factor for osteoporosis, including menopause, low body weight, family history of a parent with an osteoporotic hip fracture, smoking and excess alcohol intake. The recommended frequency of DEXA screening varies based on the patient's risk level, with high-risk patients performed every two years and moderate risk every three to five years (CDC).
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease screening
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) is the leading cause of death in women, affecting more than 60 million women in the U.S. alone. Standard ACVD screening guidelines advise assessing for traditional risk factors of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity and gender-specific considerations (e.g. menopausal status).
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a very specific feature of coronary atherosclerosis. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the addition of CAC score to a patient risk profile improves cardiovascular risk assessment and better informs clinical decision-making and treatment planning. CAC scoring with computed tomography (CT) is typically used for assessing risk for cardiovascular health. CAC-CT is a non-contrast CT of the chest performed with ECG and centered on the heart. A specific software application calculates the CAC score. Newer generation CT scanners use lower radiation doses, which are comparable to a mammogram or lung screening chest CT.
expand
Courtesy photo
Lung cancer screening
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women. Tobacco smoking is by far the biggest risk factor, and nearly 20% of all women in the U.S. are current smokers. The estimated lifetime risk for a woman to develop lung cancer is 1 in 18, including both smokers and nonsmokers; this breaks down to a lifetime risk of 11.2% for current smokers, 5.8% former smokers, and 1.3% nonsmokers. [1]
Leading national health organizations, like the American Cancer Society and USPSTF, recommend annual low dose CT (LDCT) lung screening exams for patients at high risk of lung cancer (current or former smokers with 20 or greater pack year history) between the ages 50-80 years. These guidelines were updated in 2023. LDCT lung screening is a non-contrast CT of the entire chest performed with low dose radiation, substantially lower than a routine chest CT.
All of these advanced imaging exams are available in our greater Buffalo community to provide convenient and essential preventive health services to the women we care for.
Visit WindsongWNY.com to learn more, or to schedule, call 716-631-2500.
Windsong Radiology has been serving patients throughout Western New York for over 35+ years, providing comprehensive diagnostic imaging and women's breast health services, advanced technology, and board-certified, subspecialized radiologists who read over 340K studies each year. Windsong is committed to delivering regional clinical excellence and expert, compassionate care for patients.
[1] Bruder C, Bulliard JL, Germann S, Konzelmann I, Bochud M, Leyvraz M, Chiolero A. Estimating lifetime and 10-year risk of lung cancer. Prev Med Rep. 2018 Jun 18;11:125-130. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.06.010. PMID: 29942733; PMCID: PMC6010924.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Medicaid churn: How working Americans could mistakenly lose coverage under Trump tax bill
Medicaid churn: How working Americans could mistakenly lose coverage under Trump tax bill Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump gives his thoughts on Elon Musk amid clash on bill President Donald Trump responded to Elon Musk's criticism of his "big, beautiful bill" with disappointment as Musk responded on X. A centerpiece of Donald Trump's tax bill would make millions of Medicaid recipients work, volunteer or study to maintain their publicly-financed health insurance. Republicans say the work requirement is vital to protect taxpayers while motivating nondisabled Medicaid recipients to take charge of their physical and fiscal health. Dr. Mehmet Oz challenged this population to "prove that you matter." But health advocacy groups and analysts say most recipients already work in jobs that don't provide affordable health insurance or pay enough for people to afford their own insurance. They say mandating a Medicaid work requirement − combined with more frequent eligibility checks − would create an administrative nightmare that drops coverage for many who qualify for the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. What is Medicaid churn? Medicaid rolls vary from month to month as people lose eligibility due to a new job, a raise or other income source that disqualifies them for coverage. A job loss or change in life circumstances could make someone newly eligible. The constant change of Medicaid rolls is what health policy experts call churn. A person who temporarily loses coverage due to a paperwork issue or mistake then must again sign up. "Churn is what happens when these eligibility systems become difficult to navigate," said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of the program on Medicaid and the uninsured for KFF, a health policy nonprofit. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to check enrollees eligibility once a year. The Trump tax cut legislation would mandate states double eligibility checks to twice a year. And states would have the added duty of verifying a person's employment or exemption status. The legislation, which passed the House and awaits Senate approval, mandates Medicaid recipients who are "able-bodied" adults without children work 80 hours per month or qualify for an exemption such as being a student, caregiver or having a disability. The bill defines able-bodied as people who are not medically certified as physically or unfit for employment. The legislation also would strip coverage from undocumented immigrants who get Medicaid through state-funded programs. Health policy experts say more frequent eligibility checks and red tape will add administrative costs and cut off people who qualify but fall through the cracks due to administrative miscues. "People are going to have to document work status or exemption status multiple times a year, and at each point there's a risk that someone who is eligible could lose coverage," Tolbert said. Thousands lost coverage under Arkansas work requirement During the first Trump administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave states the option of implementing a work requirement for nondisabled adults on Medicaid. Arkansas' work requirement cut more than 18,000 residents from Medicaid within the first seven months of the program. People were removed often because people were unaware of paperwork requirements to keep their coverage, research shows and analysts said. In April, a study by researchers from the Urban Institute and Loyola University Chicago found the Arkansas uninsured rate jumped 7.4 percentage points among low-income adults age 30 to 49 after the state's work requirement began. The policy's impact on employment among that age group was "negative, small and statistically insignificant," the study said. Arkansas adults who didn't have access to the internet at home were disproportionately harmed by the policy, a sign adults might've had trouble accessing the state's online portal to report work histories or exemptions, the Urban Institute said. If the work requirement for Medicaid recipients is adopted nationwide, health experts say millions of working poor Americans will inevitably lose coverage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 10.9 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage through 2034 under the legislation. Most would lose coverage due to the Medicaid work requirement and the twice-a-year eligibility checks, but about 3.1 million would become uninsured from tweaks to Affordable Care Act enrollment, according to a KFF analysis. The ranks of the uninsured could grow larger if Congress doesn't extend the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits that have made ACA plans more affordable for consumers. If the tax credits expire and Congress passes the current version of the Trump tax bill, as many as 16 million Americans would lose coverage , according to CBO. "Coverage loss from work requirements should actually be very small," said Kathy Hempstead, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "But we anticipate it will be very large, because people will not be able to comply with the requirements and will lose their coverage." Dr. Oz: Medicaid spending is 'crippling the system' The Trump administration's top Medicaid official has defended the House legislation as a necessary step to slow spending for the federal health program that covers nearly 80 million low-income and disabled Americans. In a June 4 interview with Fox Business, Dr. Oz challenged Medicaid recipients who would face work requirements should "prove that you matter." Oz, the Trump-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the work requirement asks "able-bodied individuals who are able to go back to work at least try to get a job or volunteer or take care of a loved one who needs help or go back into school. Do something to show you have agency over your future." In a Fox News interview posted on the social media site X, Oz said Medicaid spending has surged 50% since 2019, a pace that is "crippling the system." However, some Republicans have pushed back on the proposed cuts. In a May opinion piece in the New York Times, Sen. Josh Hawley, R- Missouri, said "slashing health insurance for the working poor" is "morally wrong and politically suicidal." Survey: Americans worried about Medicaid cuts The public is paying attention to the proposed Medicaid cuts. Slightly more than half of adults said they're worried significant cuts in Medicaid spending would negatively affect their family's ability to obtain and afford health care, according to a KFF health tracking poll released June 6. The survey this survey of 2,539 U.S. adults was conducted online and by telephone over three weeks in May. The survey said nearly 6 in 10 adults said the Trump administration's policies would weaken Medicaid, but there is a stark divide based on party affiliation. Nine in 10 Democrats but just 2 in 10 Republicans expect the administration's policies would weaken Medicaid. Republicans also were far more likely than Democrats to say that the Trump's policies would strengthen Medicaid. Still, while the survey suggests people are tracking the news, many likely wouldn't know whether their coverage has changed until they try to get medical care. "People don't often know that they've lost coverage until they try and fill a prescription or see a doctor," Tolbert said.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Americans Are Suffering From 'Time Poverty'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. With labor market uncertainty, jobs rewarding employees for "going the extra mile" and competing responsibilities inside and outside the workplace, a growing number of Americans are suffering from what experts refer to as "time poverty." The term has been increasingly adopted by psychologists to denote the chronic imbalance between the time a person requires and that which their work life allows them. A new survey by wellness firm Wondr Health revealed the extent of the issue, finding that the majority (62 percent) of U.S. workers do not take their allotted time off because of the internalized pressures of work and let about one-third of their annual vacation days go unspent. "No one is harder on most of us than ourselves and it leads to time poverty, a condition where we simply do not have enough time for a meaningful work-life balance," said Dr. Tim Church, chief medical officer at Wondr Health. "This is a wakeup call for employees and their employers. It's time to rethink workplace culture." A growing number of Americans are suffering from what experts refer to as "time poverty." A growing number of Americans are suffering from what experts refer to as "time poverty." Annie Ng/AP Illustration David Ballard, vice president of One Mind at Work, a company focused on mental health solutions for the workplace, said: "Some work cultures actually discourage taking time off, reward overworking, and position stress and being on 24/7 as a badge of honor. "In this type of environment, employees may avoid taking time off because they would feel guilty or worry they would be seen unfavorably or be penalized if they did." Ron Goetzel, senior scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an expert in employee well-being, told Newsweek that the issue of time poverty "takes a toll on individuals, businesses and the larger society." "Although all of us are given 24 hours in a day, people feel they need to cram in as much activity into that time as possible—without sitting back and asking whether the activity enhances their quality of life, happiness and a sense of accomplishment, or not." The mental health implications have already become clear. According to a 2020 study, time poverty is linked to lower mental well-being, productivity and even physical health. Researchers also found that "subjective feelings of time poverty had a stronger negative effect on well-being than being unemployed." Despite this, they noted that the issue was one that had long gone underappreciated by either policymakers or employers. This is in spite of the potential deleterious impacts, not just on individuals, but on the businesses themselves. As workplace wellness experts and psychologists told Newsweek, time poverty among workers can mean lower productivity, higher rates of absenteeism or presenteeism—employees being at work but not fully functional—and increased employee turnover. "Employees that don't take time off are at risk for burnout, which is detrimental to both the employee and the business," said Dr. Chloe Carmichael, a clinical psychologist known for her work on anxiety and stress management. "The employees can also become resentful of the employer and less productive." Church added: "It's costly, plain and simple. When employees are burnt out or stressed, productivity and creativity drop. That's lost potential right there." This is indicative of the wider struggles of stress in the workplace, which several studies have linked to employees looking for opportunities elsewhere. "Burnout is a complex, multi-factorial problem, but we know for sure that chronic exposure to work-related stress, without the ability to recover, leads inevitably to mental and emotional exhaustion, detachment and decreased productivity and effectiveness," wellness expert Dr. Susan Biali Haas told Newsweek. Yasemin Besen-Cassino, a sociologist at Montclair State University, said the current climate in the U.S. labor had added to this troubling status quo, which she described as "overwork culture," with mass layoffs and broader economic uncertainty weighing on employees' minds. In addition, she told Newsweek that new technologies permitting workers to be ever-present made many feel they must contribute to work via emails or zoom calls even during off days. She added that many workers choose to use their paid time off to provide child care because of lack of affordable alternatives. "Therefore many workers are not recharging on these days, but rather performing caregiving," she told Newsweek. However, experts pointed to potential remedies—some easy, others not—that could limit the exposure to workplace stress to the benefit of employees and employers. Carmichael suggested that businesses consider mandatory time off, which would "remove the potential for internalized pressure." Author and stress researcher Rebecca Heiss said that taking vacations was far from a panacea for workplace-related stress, as despite a yoga retreat or week away employees will "ultimately will have to return to work and when we do all of those emails and projects are waiting for us and have compounded." Some pointed to the need for allotted "mental health days," as well as the willingness of businesses to invest in employee wellness programs and foster open communication with their workforces. Others advocated a wider cultural shift that would need to take place. "It's important to create a culture where taking a vacation is normalized and encouraged so that workers can fully recharge," Besen-Cassino said. "Shifting workplace culture can ensure workers can take vacations and are healthier and more productive in the long run." While employers might be reticent, Church said it is in their interest to consider the stress on their workers. "Maybe most importantly, businesses risk losing their best people," he said. "If the culture doesn't support rest and wellness, employees look for other places where their well-being is valued. "Addressing burnout and time poverty isn't just about being better employers, it's smart business."
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
A boomer quit nursing to live on $2,972 monthly in Social Security in an RV in America's parks: 'I literally live in heaven'
When Marian Barry's mother died in 2014, the Arizona nurse knew she needed a change. For years, her life had revolved around taking care of her aging parents and working as a cardiac nurse just outside Phoenix. A colleague suggested travel nursing — well-paid work that would let her explore the country. After three months in Alaska, Barry knew it was the life for her. She sold her house of 16 years in Mesa, bought an RV she named Myrna, and roamed the Western US, working in a slew of hospitals and meeting all sorts of people along the way. She "absolutely loved" being a nurse and thought she'd work well into her golden years. But when the pandemic hit, that changed. Watching countless patients suffer and die without family at their bedside was agonizing. "It was hell. It was horrible being in the hospital," Barry said. After 30 years of nursing, she started thinking about retirement. She'd stayed in some national and state parks while travel nursing and noticed that the park employees and volunteers she'd met seemed remarkably happy. So, she applied for a seasonal volunteer gig at Diamond Lake in Oregon. "After coming out of working the first 15 months of COVID in hospitals, it was like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm in nature. This is amazing. No mask, no PPE,'" she said. Now, she's a full-time so-called "work-camper," living and volunteering in parks with other itinerant folks like her, many of them also retirees. She spends her days kayaking, biking, and orienting visitors in the parks. She's letting her nursing license expire next year. "I just cannot imagine going back to any kind of stressful job," Barry, now 71, added. Barry is part of a much bigger trend. Work-camping in America's parks is a long-established lifestyle, particularly for older people in need of low-cost living or adventure, or both. But as Americans live longer and face rising housing costs on fixed or low incomes, it's only becoming more attractive. Living off Social Security Barry made good money as a nurse, but she doesn't have much in savings. So she lives off her monthly $2,972 Social Security checks. She's managing for now and is even splurging on a rental car for the summer. Living in an RV is pretty cheap. At the campgrounds, she gets a free full hook-up — including water, electricity, and sewer — in exchange for her work. She says it's been easy for her to live in a tiny space because she's "never been a things kind of person." And she spends much of her time outside. For the past four years, Barry has spent October through April at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada, 90 miles north of Vegas, and May through August at Beaver Creek State Natural Area on the coast of central Oregon. She takes September off for vacation. She loves the dramatic landscapes and has become a wildlife enthusiast. "I literally live in heaven," Barry said. "I absolutely love my life." She says she doesn't get lonely because she's made friends with her fellow volunteers and employees. And she spends her days chatting up visitors. "I like to talk to everybody," she said. Barry has become particularly popular in Oregon, where a beloved breed of blackberry, the marionberry, is grown. Locals and park visitors get a kick out of her name. "Every day when I say what my name is, they're like, 'Oh, I'll never forget that,'" she said. "I'm like a celebrity here." One group of fans brought her a marionberry pie. Barry, who never married or had kids, hopes to keep living in the parks in Oregon and Nevada for the rest of her life. Her siblings and other family members are scattered across the country. She jokes with one of her nieces, who lives on a farm in Indiana, that if she ever loses the ability to live independently, she'll park her RV in a field on her property and live out her days there. "Honestly, I have no long-term plan, that's just a fun thing to think about," she said.
