Dr. Jill Buchanan Enter, of Aiken Physician’s Alliance, is a general surgeon with a special interest in helping women maintain good breast health.
“It’s the beginning of a new year, a time when we think about health and how we can better take care of ourselves,” she said.“As a female physician, one thing I highly recommend is for women to have their yearly mammogram.”
She said women should get a mammogram annually beginning at age 40. “There is some literature out there that says women should get them every other year starting at 45, but I don’t support that,” Enter said. “Breast cancers are found every year in younger women, and we need to be able to catch it as early as possible.”
In addition to a mammogram, Enter recommends a yearly clinical breast exam with a physician or gynecologist. In her practice, Enter provides exams for people with family history and who are at high risk for breast cancer.
If breast surgery is required, Enter is ready to help. She provides “everything from lumpectomies to mastectomies with immediate reconstruction from plastic surgeons here in Aiken and from Augusta University. If a woman needs a mastectomy, we do that and take care of reconstruction in the same surgery.”
Aiken Regional Medical Centers has four 3D mammography machines to help women catch breast cancer earlier. The low-radiation exposure machines are offered at the Southside Imaging Center and the on-campus imaging center at Aiken Regional.
“The 3D units allow us to pick up more breast cancer than a standard 2D machine,” Enter said. “This is especially helpful if you have dense breast tissue or are prone to breast cancer.”
When women get a mammogram, Dr. Enter suggests they ask the following questions:
- How up to date is the machine?
- Who reads the mammogram?
- Do they offer 2D only, or is there a 3D option for imaging?
- How do they handle callbacks? In other words, if an abnormality is found in the mammogram, is it going to be taken care of on the same day?
“One of the most important things women need to know,” Enter said, “is that if you have a strong family history of breast cancer, you should be seeing a breast health specialist.”
For more information on Dr. Enter and the breast health services she provides, go to AikenPhysicians.com or call 803.502.8400.
