Early Detection Saves Lives: The Power of Mammography

Early Detection Saves Lives: The Power of Mammography

Published on October 12, 2026

By Radiologist Sheri Jordan, MD, FACR

It's a lovely time in southeastern North Carolina as the colors and beautiful days of autumn abound. Here at UNC Health Southeastern, October has turned pink with "Early Detection Saves Lives," the catchphrase signaling Breast Cancer Awareness Month each year. Do screening mammograms, early detection of small cancers, and personalized therapies actually save lives? The answer is unequivocally, YES!

Multiple scientific studies report that female breast cancer mortality rates in the United States increased by 0.4 percent per year from 1975 to 1990 but thereafter declined beginning in 1990. This is due to the advent of annual screening mammography in the 1980s along with improved therapies and breast cancer care.

In the United States, the death rate from breast cancer has decreased significantly nearing 50 percent improvement since 1989. Widespread mammography and advanced therapies have saved over one half million women's lives in the U.S. since 1989, with cumulative estimates over 517,900 averted deaths.

Screening mammography accounts for at least 25 percent of the overall mortality reduction. Screening mammography enables detection of suspicious masses, calcifications, and architectural distortion in the breast earlier than clinical breast exam and self-breast exam, in many instances years earlier.

This permits biopsy and diagnosis of smaller cancers and earlier stage (localized) disease. The five-year cancer survival rate is over 99 percent for breast cancer diagnosed at a localized stage, when treatment is typically more effective and less extensive, but drops to 87 percent for regional-stage and 32 percent for distant-stage disease

In the midst of the good news, there are realities that impact our community that bear reporting. In the U.S., an estimated 67 percent of women ages 40 years and older had a breast cancer screening in the past two years, but only 51 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native women have undergone screening mammography. While American Indian/Alaska Native women have 10 percent lower breast cancer incidence than White women, they have six percent higher mortality. And Black women have five percent lower breast cancer incidence than White women, but 38 percent (much) higher mortality, largely because of later diagnosis and cancer cell type.

UNC Health Southeastern's Breast Imaging program is working hard for our community's health. Patients have access to high-quality breast imaging services close to home. Southeastern Radiology Associates offers both screening and diagnostic mammography, with timely intervention if biopsy is required or fast response if further evaluation is required. All breast imaging is accredited by the American College of Radiology, and mammography services are accredited through the Mammography Quality Standards Act.

Board-certified radiologists interpret every exam quickly and thoroughly, and patients benefit from advanced imaging technology, convenient scheduling, including self-scheduling through MyChart, and select Saturday appointments. Results are also quickly available through MyChart.

For women who may have difficulty affording breast cancer screening, the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (NC BCCCP) may help. The program provides free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings and follow-up care to eligible women, including clinical breast exams, screening mammograms and, when needed, diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies. Women may qualify for breast screening services if they are ages 40-64, meet income guidelines, are uninsured or their insurance does not cover screening, and do not have Medicare Part B or Medicaid. Women diagnosed through the program may also qualify for Breast and Cervical Cancer Medicaid to help cover treatment.

Breast cancer screening can save lives, and scheduling a mammogram is one of the most important steps women can take for their health. If you are age 40 or older, or have an increased risk of breast cancer, talk with your provider or consider self-referral for screening and schedule your mammogram. Southeastern Radiology Associates helps women receive the preventive care they need in a comfortable and compassionate environment, with easy access and convenient parking. Mammograms may be scheduled in MyChart or by calling (910) 671-4000.

Sheri Jordan, MD, is a radiologist with UNC Health Southeastern and Southeastern Radiology Associates. She is a fellow of the American College of Radiologists.