Marshfield Clinic offers high risk service to screen for breast cancer

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - 1 in 8 women will eventually develop breast cancer in their lifetime. For most, annual mammograms are enough to screen for the disease. However, there are some patients who need extra attention and support.

Marshfield Clinic Health System’s high risk breast service is helping women find and fight cancer earlier than ever before. Women at a higher risk for breast cancer may have concerning family histories or physical differences like dense breast tissue, which can increase their chance of developing the disease. Patients can be referred to this program form a variety of sources like a primary care provider or a radiologist.

“I’m surprised at how few women come in,” said Alice Knudtson, a nurse practitioner at Marshfield Clinic. “Early intervention, early diagnosis saves lives. That’s the biggest point of this. Are we going to actually really make a huge difference in how many diagnostic breast cancers are out there? Maybe not, but we can try. But most of it is let’s not have women die from breast cancer.”

If a patient is found to be at high risk for breast cancer, Marshfield Clinic providers will help answer questions and guide the patient through additional screening and treatment choices available.

Click here to learn more about Marshfield Clinic’s high risk breast service.

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