Taking the “ouch” out of a mammogram

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Mammograms to screen for breast cancer are recommended for women age 40 and older every year or two. There are several reasons, however, why as many as two-thirds of women do not follow the screening guidelines. For some women, the exams are not covered by insurance and are too expensive. Some are afraid of finding out they may have cancer. Still others find the exams just too darned uncomfortable.

For the uninitiated, during a mammogram, the breast is squeezed for a few seconds between two plates so that the X-ray can penetrate dense breast tissue. Though hardly as painful as, say, childbirth, the exam can pull, pinch, tug and yank the breast enough for some women to utter a few choice words. But the authors of a study released online today from the journal Radiology have come up with a helpful solution: lidocaine gel.

In the study, they tested combinations of pain relief, including oral acetaminophen, oral ibuprofen, 4% lidocaine gel, combinations of gel and oral medications or nothing. They found the gel significantly reduced the discomfort, but taking oral pain relievers was not helpful.

The use of lidocaine gel may help some women go through with a mammogram if they dread it or have had an uncomfortable exam in the past. The investigators, from St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute in Boise, Idaho, point out that mammograms tend to hurt more when women expect them to hurt. The study notes, however, that other factors in the exam matter, too. For example, the sensitivity and care of the mammography technician and how she handles the breast can spell the difference between ouch and OK.

Lidocaine gel can be purchased over the counter. In the study, it was applied about 35 to 60 minutes before the exam, then removed before the X-rays were taken. For a look at how mammography is performed, go to this link from the Mayo Clinic.

-- Shari Roan

Photo: AP