More and more Yucatecan women are visiting IMSS for breast cancer prevention exams

Starting at age 40, women should have a mammogram at least every two years.

Mérida, Yucatán.- More and more women are coming to the medical units of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) for preventive exams for the timely detection of breast cancer, said the director of the Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Detection Unit, Nieves Martínez Kú.

Within the framework of this month dedicated to raising awareness of this disease, she emphasized that among the objectives of the Unit is to provide quality and accurate diagnoses, fundamental elements to attack the disease.

She reiterated that timely detection continues to be the most important thing in the fight that women carry on in order to survive.

She specified that the services offered are screening mammography, for the timely detection of women who have no signs or symptoms; there is an ultrasound and mammography diagnostic unit with stereotaxy equipment, with which a technique allows access to deeper areas when needles are used for biopsies are performed.

There is also an organized invitation center, by means of which, through a database they have, an intentional and follow-up search is made of women between 40 and 69 years of age, which is the range in which they can suffer from the disease.

From January to September, the Unit provided 9,787 consultations for the various services.

On a single day, 24 ultrasounds, eight biopsies, and up to 80 mastographies are performed, she explained.