Berkshire Health Systems
  • Coronavirus Information Kiosk
  • Berkshire Patient Portal
  • COVID-19 Relief Fund for Berkshire Health Systems
  • Pay Your Bill Online
  • About Us
  • Employment
  • Coronavirus Information Kiosk
  • Berkshire Patient Portal
  • BMC Parking Maps
  • Advocacy for Access
  • Berkshire Patient Portal
  • BHS Blood Drawing Stations
  • BHS Bloodmobile
  • BHS Community Benefits Implementation Plan
  • BHS News
  • BHS Privacy Practices
  • BMC Community Benefits Report FY 2018
  • Fairview Hospital FY 2018 Community Benefit Report
  • BMC Medical Interpreters
  • Community Outreach Program
  • County Health Needs Assessment
  • Financial Counseling/Ayuda Financiera
  • Helpful Patient Tools
  • Medical Interpreters at Fairview
  • MedlinePlus
  • MedlinePlus en Espanol
  • One Medical Passport
  • Pay Your Bill Online
  • Pre-Surgical Assessment
  • Request a Medical Record
  • Send a Patient Greeting
  • Wellness Works Website - For BHS Employees & Spouses
  • Worksite Wellness
Berkshire Health Systems
  • Programs & Services
    • Addiction Services
    • Anesthesiology
    • Bariatrics
    • Better Start
    • Cancer Care
    • Cardiology
    • Diabetes Care
    • Emergency Care
    • Endoscopy
    • Healthy Steps
    • Home Care
    • Hospitalists
    • Kidney & Dialysis
    • Laboratory Services
    • Maternity
    • Neurology
    • Neurosurgery
    • Occupational Med
    • Orthopedics
    • Outreach
    • Pain Management
    • Pharmacy
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonary Care
    • Radiology
    • Rehabilitation
    • Sleep Disorders
    • Sports Medicine
    • Stroke Care
    • Surgery
    • Trauma Care
    • Travel Medicine
    • Urgent Care
    • Urology
    • Wellness
    • WIC Program
    • Women's Imaging
    • Wound Care
    • Patient & Visitor Information
    • Quality Care & Patient Safety
    • Calendar & Events
    • News
    • Maps & Directions
    • Ways to Give
    • Health Encyclopedia
    • Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, MA
    • Fairview Hospital, Great Barrington, MA
    • Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association
    • BHS Survey Module
  • Locations
    • Berkshire Medical Center
    • Fairview Hospital
    • North Adams Campus of BMC
    • BMC & Fairview Physician Practices
    • Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association
    • BHS Urgent Care
    • Long Term Care
    • BHS Laboratory - Blood Drawing Stations
  • Find a Physician
  • BHS Physician Practices
  • Medical Education
    • Message from Dr. Alex Sabo
    • Internal Medicine Residency
    • Surgery Residency
    • Osteopathic Medical Education
    • Psychiatry Residency
    • Dentistry Residency
    • Medical Students
    • Continuing Medical Education
    • School of Medical Technology
    • Schwartz Center Rounds
  • Coronavirus Information Kiosk
  • Berkshire Patient Portal
  • COVID-19 Relief Fund for Berkshire Health Systems
  • Pay Your Bill Online
  • About Us
  • Employment
Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer Pittsfield, Massachusetts (MA) - Berkshire Health Systems
  1. Home
  2. Programs & Services
  3. Community Outreach Program
  4. Health Take-Away
  5. Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer

Health Take-Away

Health Take-Away

  • Alcohol's Impact on Breast Cancer Risk
  • Acupuncture Can Help with Relief in Breast Cancer Care
  • Breast Reconstruction Surgery Journey is Personal
  • Building Your Immunity during COVID-19
  • Emotional Toll of COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Anti-Body Testing: What It Tells You What It Won't
  • Treating Varicose Veins
  • Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: What is OMM
  • Know Your Audiology Options
  • Pets as Therapists
  • Reducing the Stigma of Substance Use Disorder
  • Be Kind to Your Heart
  • Headache Care
  • Managing Presenteeism
  • Don't Struggle with Resolutions
  • Enjoy the Holidays Through the Gift of Giving
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Save a Life, Lift Your Soul, Give Blood
  • Team Approach for Breast Cancer
  • Surviving Breast Cancer: A Journey
  • Hunger in the Berkshires
  • Vaccinations Help Avoid Needless Risks
  • Embrace Mindfulness
  • Low Carb High Fat Diet has Benefits
  • Probiotics Uses the Good Bugs to Fight the Bad Ones
  • Use the Power of Nature for Better Health
  • Unplug from Online for Better Health
  • Weight Loss Through Narrowing Your Eating Window
  • Mammography and Dense Breast Tissue
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment for Addiction Disorder
  • Smoker or Former Smoker? Lung Cancer Screening is Recommended for You
  • Be Safe When Using Over the Counter Medications
  • Screenings for Colon Cancer
  • Thyroid Health Essential to Metabolism
  • Go for Nutrition that is Heart Healthy
  • High Blood Pressure and Ways to Lower It
  • Hospitalists: Your Around the Clock Caregiver
  • Weight Loss Surgery Has Lasting Impact
  • Can you Find Joy in the Holidays When Sick?
  • Coping with Holiday Depression
  • When Quitting Smoking You May Need to Try and Try Again
  • Vaginal Birth after C-Section
  • New Tool to Assess Breast Cancer Risk
  • Migraines: How to Treat Them
  • Vestibular Care: It's All in Your Ears
  • Prepare for a Healthy Trip Abroad
  • New Moms Encouraged to Breast Feed
  • Language Diversity Important to Healthcare
  • Latest Advances in Joint Replacement
  • Vaping and Nicotine Addiction
  • Urgent Care or Emergency Department
  • Free Medicare Wellness Visit
  • Rehabilitation from Stroke Onset
  • Life Threatening Stroke Can be Prevented
  • Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer
  • Breaking the Silence on Kidney Disease
  • Stop Mindless Eating
  • Hospitals Working to Improve Heart Health
  • Your Healthy Gut Bacteria
  • Give Up Smoking in 2018
  • Healthy Resolutions for 2018
  • Healthy Giving for 2017
  • Concussions: Myths and Truths
  • Celebrate a Thankful & Healthy Holiday
  • Don't Die of Embarrassment: Get Screened for Colon Cancer
  • Don't Let the Flu Get You This Season
  • Advanced Cardiac Imaging
  • Chronic Wound Care
  • What is a Hospitalist?
  • Healthy Heart Rhythms
  • Wellness Coaching
  • Men's Health In Crisis
  • Prevent Stroke or Respond FAST
  • Walking to Good Health
  • Healing Through Acupuncture
  • Self Care is Our Future
  • Family Wellness - Play Together Stay Healthy Together
  • Rewriting Your Book of Life
  • Pre-Diabetes: A Wake-Up Call for Better Health
  • Overcoming Crisis With Resiliency
  • Stepping Off the Slippery Slope
  • Sleep & Wellness: Learning to Cherish Your Sleep
  • Kicking the Habit and Ending the Fear
  • High Blood Pressure: One of the Few Things in Life We Can Control
  • Friendship is Powerful Medicine
  • It's Flu Season: Get the Vaccine!
  • The Healing Power of Gratitude
  • Where's the Joy?
  • New Year's Resolutions to Live By
  • Preventing Falls: A Leading Health Risk for the Older Population
  • Staying Healthy in the Office
  • Exercising at Home and Staying Fit in the Winter
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation: Regaining a Healthier and Better Life
  • Nutrition & Exercise: Two Great Gifts for Children
  • A Screening That Has Saved More than a Million Lives
  • How Walking Can Change Your Life
  • Injury-Free Sports & Activities
  • Have a Healthy Summer
  • Head to a Farmers' Market
  • Just Breathe
  • Lyme Disease Facts
  • Mindful Eating
  • Empathy in Healthcare
  • Preparing Your Family for an Emergency
  • Helping Someone to Cope with Opioid Addiction
  • Breast Cancer Awareness: Mammograms Save Lives
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • Lung Cancer Screening
  • Giving Thanks
  • Healthy Holidays
  • Alcohol's Impact on Breast Cancer Risk
  • Acupuncture Can Help with Relief in Breast Cancer Care
  • Breast Reconstruction Surgery Journey is Personal
  • Building Your Immunity during COVID-19
  • Emotional Toll of COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Anti-Body Testing: What It Tells You What It Won't
  • Treating Varicose Veins
  • Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: What is OMM
  • Know Your Audiology Options
  • Pets as Therapists
  • Reducing the Stigma of Substance Use Disorder
  • Be Kind to Your Heart
  • Headache Care
  • Managing Presenteeism
  • Don't Struggle with Resolutions
  • Enjoy the Holidays Through the Gift of Giving
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Save a Life, Lift Your Soul, Give Blood
  • Team Approach for Breast Cancer
  • Surviving Breast Cancer: A Journey
  • Hunger in the Berkshires
  • Vaccinations Help Avoid Needless Risks
  • Embrace Mindfulness
  • Low Carb High Fat Diet has Benefits
  • Probiotics Uses the Good Bugs to Fight the Bad Ones
  • Use the Power of Nature for Better Health
  • Unplug from Online for Better Health
  • Weight Loss Through Narrowing Your Eating Window
  • Mammography and Dense Breast Tissue
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment for Addiction Disorder
  • Smoker or Former Smoker? Lung Cancer Screening is Recommended for You
  • Be Safe When Using Over the Counter Medications
  • Screenings for Colon Cancer
  • Thyroid Health Essential to Metabolism
  • Go for Nutrition that is Heart Healthy
  • High Blood Pressure and Ways to Lower It
  • Hospitalists: Your Around the Clock Caregiver
  • Weight Loss Surgery Has Lasting Impact
  • Can you Find Joy in the Holidays When Sick?
  • Coping with Holiday Depression
  • When Quitting Smoking You May Need to Try and Try Again
  • Vaginal Birth after C-Section
  • New Tool to Assess Breast Cancer Risk
  • Migraines: How to Treat Them
  • Vestibular Care: It's All in Your Ears
  • Prepare for a Healthy Trip Abroad
  • New Moms Encouraged to Breast Feed
  • Language Diversity Important to Healthcare
  • Latest Advances in Joint Replacement
  • Vaping and Nicotine Addiction
  • Urgent Care or Emergency Department
  • Free Medicare Wellness Visit
  • Rehabilitation from Stroke Onset
  • Life Threatening Stroke Can be Prevented
  • Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer
  • Breaking the Silence on Kidney Disease
  • Stop Mindless Eating
  • Hospitals Working to Improve Heart Health
  • Your Healthy Gut Bacteria
  • Give Up Smoking in 2018
  • Healthy Resolutions for 2018
  • Healthy Giving for 2017
  • Concussions: Myths and Truths
  • Celebrate a Thankful & Healthy Holiday
  • Don't Die of Embarrassment: Get Screened for Colon Cancer
  • Don't Let the Flu Get You This Season
  • Advanced Cardiac Imaging
  • Chronic Wound Care
  • What is a Hospitalist?
  • Healthy Heart Rhythms
  • Wellness Coaching
  • Men's Health In Crisis
  • Prevent Stroke or Respond FAST
  • Walking to Good Health
  • Healing Through Acupuncture
  • Self Care is Our Future
  • Family Wellness - Play Together Stay Healthy Together
  • Rewriting Your Book of Life
  • Pre-Diabetes: A Wake-Up Call for Better Health
  • Overcoming Crisis With Resiliency
  • Stepping Off the Slippery Slope
  • Sleep & Wellness: Learning to Cherish Your Sleep
  • Kicking the Habit and Ending the Fear
  • High Blood Pressure: One of the Few Things in Life We Can Control
  • Friendship is Powerful Medicine
  • It's Flu Season: Get the Vaccine!
  • The Healing Power of Gratitude
  • Where's the Joy?
  • New Year's Resolutions to Live By
  • Preventing Falls: A Leading Health Risk for the Older Population
  • Staying Healthy in the Office
  • Exercising at Home and Staying Fit in the Winter
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation: Regaining a Healthier and Better Life
  • Nutrition & Exercise: Two Great Gifts for Children
  • A Screening That Has Saved More than a Million Lives
  • How Walking Can Change Your Life
  • Injury-Free Sports & Activities
  • Have a Healthy Summer
  • Head to a Farmers' Market
  • Just Breathe
  • Lyme Disease Facts
  • Mindful Eating
  • Empathy in Healthcare
  • Preparing Your Family for an Emergency
  • Helping Someone to Cope with Opioid Addiction
  • Breast Cancer Awareness: Mammograms Save Lives
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • Lung Cancer Screening
  • Giving Thanks
  • Healthy Holidays

Mammography and MRI for Women with High Risk of Breast Cancer

Women at high risk of breast cancer should get annual mammograms plus MRIs
By Caitlin Lopez, M.D., and Susan Gazzillo, R.N., M.S.N. 

We know for a fact that annual mammograms for women starting at age 40 absolutely save lives. But we also now know that for women at higher risk of breast cancer due to family history and other factors, an additional layer of screening – specifically annual MRI scans – can provide another life-saving measure of early detection.  For women with known genetic mutations, those two annual screening tests should begin at age 30, according to a new recommendations issued this month from the American College of Radiology.

Women overall in the U.S. have a roughly 12 percent lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. That means that for every eight women in the U.S., one will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. In an assessment based on family history, personal medical history and other variables, women are considered to be at high risk if their lifetime risk of breast cancer is 20 percent or greater.

So, what are those risk factors?  Well, simply being a woman and getting older for starters. But it’s important to understand that the risk factors themselves do not cause breast cancer; they simply increase the chance it may develop. Having several risk factors for breast cancer does not mean you definitely will get breast cancer. Conversely, most of the women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors aside from being female.  That’s why it’s important that all women, regardless of their risk profile, remain vigilant and get screened annually.

Some factors that may increase risk of breast cancer

  • Inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer genes
  • Family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer
  • High breast density on a mammogram
  • Exposure to large amounts of radiation
  • Have had radiation therapy to breast area under the age of 30
  • Biopsy showing Atypical Hyperplasia or Lobular Carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
  • Having first period before age 12
  • Starting menopause after age 55
  • Never having had children
  • Having first child after age 35
  • Current or past use of birth control pills
  • Current or past use of post-menopausal hormones
  • High bone density
  • Gaining weight in adulthood or being overweight after menopause
  • More than one alcohol drink per day

To know whether or not you fall into the high-risk category, talk to your relatives about your family health history and share that knowledge with your physician. Your doctor will then review your personal medical history, your current health condition and personal lifestyle factors to calculate your risk of developing breast cancer. If it’s determined you’re at high risk, you may need to talk about alternate additional screening measures and risk reduction strategies.

Screening recommendations for women at high risk of breast cancer:

  • Annual mammography starting at age 40 or earlier, depending on known risk factors.
  • Annual breast MRI. Screening through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can locate some small breast lesions sometimes missed by mammography. It can also help detect breast cancer in younger women who tend to have dense breast
  • Genetic testing for BRCA1/BRCA2 or other genes that may increase the risk of breast cancer.
  • If such genetic mutations are present, annual mammography and MRIs should begin at age 30.
  • Additional preventive measures, primarily related to lifestyle.

Women at average or intermediate risk (less than 20 percent) are advised to continue following the routine breast screening recommendation: annual mammography starting at age 40.  Women at intermediate risk who also have been told they have high breast density based on a mammogram should talk with their physician about additional screening.

Caitlin Lopez, M.D., is medical director of the Women’s Imaging Center at Berkshire Medical Center.  Susan Gazzillo, R.N., M.S.N., is administrative director of the BMC Cancer and Infusion Center.

  •   (413) 447-2000
  •   Email - General Inquiries Only
  •   Email - BMC Patient Experience
  •   Email - BHS Physician Practices
  •   Email - Fairview Hospital Inquiries
  • Employment at BHS
  • About Us
  • 2018 BMC Report on Cancer
  • Quality Care & Patient Safety
  • Berkshire Patient Portal
  • Awards & Accreditations
  • BHS Community Outreach
  • BHS Bloodmobile
  • BMC FY 2018 Community Benefits Report
  • Fairview FY 2018 Community Benefits Report
  • Ways to Give
  • Give Us Your Feedback

© 2021 Berkshire Health Systems

725 North Street

Pittsfield, MA 01201

  • News
  • Privacy Practices
  • Practicas De Privacidad
  • Site Map
  • BHS Privacy Practices
  • Contact Us