Take charge of your breast health by partnering with Breast Health Services at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN). Whatever your breast health needs, we’re here to help ensure your whole health.
Our women’s health specialists are committed to ensuring breast health. Whether you found a lump in your breast or need an annual mammogram, you can access screening and diagnostic services at several breast health centers across the region.
We use the latest advanced imaging technologies, such as 3D mammography, to detect breast cancer and other breast conditions in the earliest, most treatable stage. For women who experience breast cancer, you can expect innovative cancer care at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. We have deep experience, caring for more than 500 women with breast cancer every year.
Partner with LVHN for your breast health
When you choose breast health services at LVHN, you can expect:
Exceptional quality
LVHN Breast Health Services is an American College of Radiology (ACR) Accredited Center of Excellence. We hold accreditation in many quality programs, which is a testament to the outstanding quality we provide to every woman under our care.
Experience
Our board-certified radiologists exceed the national average for finding cancer at its earliest stage. They read more than twice as many mammograms as the FDA requires, a volume that leads to an uncommon level of precision.
Advanced technology
Detecting breast cancer as early as possible is our mission. Tomosynthesis, also known as 3D mammography, makes diagnosing hidden breast cancer possible.
During 3D mammography, an arc of X-ray images is taken of each breast. The images are reconstructed into a three-dimensional image. This allows the radiologist to evaluate the breast layer by layer, helping to distinguish a true mass from overlapping tissue, as well as helping detect smaller lesions that may be hidden on a conventional 2D mammogram.
3D mammography is the only mammogram FDA approved as superior for women with dense breasts.
Convenience on land and on wheels
You have access to the most advanced breast screening technology available at LVHN breast health centers across the region. Several locations offer walk-in care.
For even more convenience, our mobile mammography coach provides a convenient way for you to receive a 3D screening mammogram. This is the same imaging technology we use at our hospitals, and it is provided by our outstanding breast health services technicians who have specialized in breast mammography. Visit LVHN.org/mammocoach for the schedule of upcoming screenings.
World-class care
The Cancer Institute is a Certified Quality Breast Center with the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers™ Program administered by the National Consortium of Breast Centers, Inc.
This voluntary program focuses on the tracking and sharing of quality measures, such as patient satisfaction, timeliness of imaging care, as well as complication rates. We provide each patient with the highest quality of care through shared learning.
Comprehensive care for all your breast needs
Whether you have an immediate health concern (such as a breast lump) or are looking for preventive care, our experienced women’s health providers are here to help ensure your breast health over the long term.
Many women experience changes to their breast tissue over their lifetime. It’s important to note that these changes are often due to a benign (noncancerous) condition. Our team of providers is skilled in diagnosing and treating a wide range of breast concerns, including:
- Breast cysts, which are small fluid-filled masses in the breast
- Fibrous breast tissue, which may appear or feel lumpy to the touch
- Other breast-related symptoms, including pain, redness or unexpected nipple discharge
- Breast cancer
LVHN offers an array of preventive breast screenings, diagnostic tests and treatments at multiple locations throughout the region. We’ll teach you how to care for your breasts using regular breast self-exams and help you schedule a mammogram at a location convenient for you.
Mammograms for women at high risk for breast cancer
We may recommend regular mammograms for some women before age 40 if there is a higher than normal risk of breast cancer.
Our high-risk breast cancer clinic cares for all women at high risk, including those who carry a known genetic mutation. You meet with a nurse whose expertise includes genetics and breast cancer. We develop a personalized plan with recommendations, which may include mammograms, so we can monitor your risk.
Learn more about our cancer risk and genetic assessment program.
If you or your family have questions about your chance to develop breast or other cancer, please visit The Gregory and Lorraine Harper Cancer Risk and Genetic Assessment Program to learn about genetic counseling and testing.
What is a mammogram?
Mammograms are safe, low-dose X-rays used to detect breast cancer. For most women, getting an annual mammogram is the single best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage.
Who should get a mammogram?
We recommend that women begin annual mammography screening starting at age 40.
Your provider may recommend you undergo more frequent or different breast screenings, such as breast MRI, if your family history or other circumstances raise your risk for breast cancer. Learn about breast cancer care at the Cancer Institute.
Mammograms and the COVID-19 vaccine
While earlier guidance recommended scheduling your mammogram before or four to six weeks after any COVID-19 vaccine dose or booster, this is no longer the case.
At this time, individuals are encouraged to promptly schedule any recommended mammograms (screening or diagnostic), regardless of their vaccination history and timeline. While false positives are possible, they can be ruled out quickly. Also, mammograms are one of the most important tools for identifying cancer and should not be delayed.
Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS) Available for Women With Dense Breast Tissue
About 40 percent of women have dense breast tissue, which poses a double threat. Dense breast tissue has been associated with an increased risk for breast cancer, and it can make breast cancer more difficult to diagnose because the fatty tissue and breast cancer both appear white on mammograms. Fortunately, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute offers an advanced 3D imaging technology, Automated Breast Ultrasound System 2.0 (ABUS), to help women with dense breast tissue.
The system is a supplemental screening technology specifically designed to aid in the detection of breast cancer in dense breast tissue. The unit gives radiologists the ability to look through hundreds of images to find breast cancers in dense tissue that may have been otherwise missed in a traditional mammogram.
Some of the benefits of ABUS include:
- Faster procedure time – The ABUS unit completes scans of breasts in about 15 minutes, much faster than the hour that a handheld ultrasound typically requires.
- Increased comfort – The ABUS unit’s transducer is easy to position and follows the natural contour of the breast with minimal compression.
All women do not need whole breast ultrasound. Patients with dense breast tissue should talk to their health care provider to see if ABUS would be a beneficial screening tool.
Scheduling your screening mammogram on MyLVHN
You may schedule a screening mammogram directly on our patient portal, MyLVHN, provided you are age 40+ and have not had a mammogram in the last 365 days. If you are younger than 40, a prescription from your doctor or health care provider is required
To schedule your screening mammogram on MyLVHN, log in to your MyLVHN account, select the Schedule an Appointment icon and then click the Screening Mammogram button. MyLVHN app users should select the Appointments icon and then press Screening Mammogram.
Don't have a MyLVHN account? Sign up for MyLVHN.
