The Montana Cancer Screening Program: Lewistown Site: FAQs
Central Montana Family Planning
505 W. Main Street
Suite #108
Lewistown, MT 59457
Phone & Fax: 406.535.8811
Toll-Free: 877.421.8646
~ What is a Clinical Breast Exam (CBE)? ~
A clinical breast exam is when a trained healthcare provider checks your breasts for lumps. The provider will look at and feel your breasts for any changes. The Montana Cancer Screening Program (MCSP) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommend that you have a clinical breast exam every year.
~ What is a Mammogram? ~
A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. You will have x-rays taken of one breast at a time. A mammogram can find breast cancer that is too small for you or your health care provider to feel. When you get your mammogram, do not wear deodorant or powder. The MCSP recommends that you get a mammogram every year if you are 50 years of age or older and every 1-2 years if you are between the ages of 40-49.
~ What is a Breast Biopsy? ~
The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer. If a lump in the breast tissue is found, the doctor may need to remove a small piece of the lump. A pathologist views the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells.
~ What is a Breast Ultrasound? ~
Breast ultrasound is a procedure that may be used to determine whether a lump is a cyst (sac containing fluid) or a solid mass.
Ultrasound can also be used to precisely locate the position of a known tumor in order to guide the physician during a biopsy or aspiration procedure. Ultrasound helps confirm correct needle placement.
Ultrasound testing works by transmitting high-frequency sound waves, inaudible to the human ear, through the breast. The sound waves bounce off surfaces in the breast (tissue, air, fluid) and these "echoes" are recorded and transformed into video or photographic images.
~ What is a Pap Test & a Pelvic Exam? ~
A Pap test (or Pap smear) is a way to look at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix (the opening to the uterus or womb). The test is used to look for changes in the cells of the cervix that show cervical cancer or conditions that may develop into cancer. If detected early, cervical cancer can be cured.
The Pap test is done during a pelvic exam. A doctor (or other trained healthcare professional such as a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant) uses a device called a speculum to widen the opening of the vagina so that the cervix can be examined. A plastic spatula or small brush are used to collect cells from the cervix. The sample is then spread on a slide (conventional) or mixed in a liquid solution (liquid) and sent to a lab for analysis.
The MCSP recommends and can pay for a Pap test according to the following rules:
- The Conventional Pap test is yearly until you have 3 normal Pap tests and then every 3 years.
- The Liquid Pap test is every other year as long as your Pap tests are normal.
After the Pap test, the provider will do a pelvic exam to check your fallopian tubes, ovaries, and uterus (womb) by putting two gloved fingers inside your vagina. With the other hand, s/he will feel (from the outside) for any lumps or tenderness. This takes only a few minutes.
Remember, the MCSP can only pay for a pelvic exam if you also have a Clinical Breast Exam or other services performed at the same appointment.
~ Pap Guidelines ~
Please note that if you have had a hysterectomy not due to cervical cancer, only your first Pap smear in the Program will be covered. If you have 3 NORMAL Paps within a 5-year period, the CDC recommends only having a Pap test every 3 years. Liquid-based Paps will be reimbursed at 2-year intervals; however, your office visit will still be covered annually.
~ What is a Colposcopy? ~
Colposcopy is a way for your doctor to use a special magnifying device to look at your cervix. If a problem is seen during the colposcopy, a small sample of tissue may be taken from the cervix. The sample is looked at under a microscope. A colposcopy is usually done to look at the cervix when a Pap test is abnormal.
During a colposcopy, your doctor uses a lighted magnifying device that looks like a pair of binoculars (colposcope). The colposcope allows your doctor to see problems that would be missed by the naked eye.
Your doctor may put vinegar (acetic acid) and sometimes iodine (Lugol's solution) on the cervix with a cotton swab or cotton balls to see problem areas more clearly.
~ Cancer Awareness Ribbon Colors ~
For those curious about which ribbon and/or color to use to show their support for specific cancers, here is a PDF listing of each one: Cancer Awareness Ribbon Colors.