EVERETT — Preventing breast cancer deaths in Snohomish County is about to get easier, thanks to a new screening and early detection program at the Providence Comprehensive Breast Center in Everett.
On Monday, Providence launched Prevention4Me, a free risk assessment tool that determines a patient’s need for enhanced breast cancer screening and genetic testing. The Comprehensive Breast Center at 900 Pacific Ave. in Everett is the first Providence location in the country to use the tool as part of its cancer prevention program.
At least one-third of the 23,000 patients who visit the Providence Comprehensive Breast Center each year are at risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetimes, said Laura Kendrick, a breast cancer survivor and manager of the center.
“I was looking for a way that we could try to catch breast cancer earlier for patients,” Kendrick said. “And so they have the knowledge and power about what to do next.”
Laura Kendrick, the manager of the Comprehensive Breast Center, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
To develop the tool, the hospital system partnered with Providence Genomics. The tool screens a patient’s risk for most cancers as well as their Tyrer-Cuzick score, or their lifetime breast cancer risk. A family history of breast cancer as well as dense breast tissue are the biggest risk factors, Kendrick said.
The program serves as a safety net for patients who may have cancer that goes undetected in regular mammograms, which miss about 1 in every 8 breast cancer diagnoses, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients with dense breast tissue are more likely to get false-negative results.
Now, when patients age 25 to 80 schedule a mammogram at the Comprehensive Breast Center, they can fill out a 10-minute personal and family history survey sent to their emails. The tool provides an instant cancer risk assessment. If a person is 20% at risk or higher, the tool also recommends next steps such as saliva-based genetic testing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a contrast-enhanced mammography that can detect cancer in dense breast tissue.
A circular marker is visible on a mammogram on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Most health insurance plans cover mammograms, genetic testing and other screening tools, Kendrick said. The Comprehensive Breast Center can help patients without insurance with financial aid options, she noted.
Providence providers will also make a plan with high-risk patients for more frequent and more enhanced screenings each year, Kendrick said.
To support the early detection program, Pink Ribbon Row and the Providence General Foundation granted $116,000 for contrast-enhanced mammography equipment. The technology is faster, cheaper and easier for insurance approval than an MRI.
“We’re really trying to make a difference in the lives of people locally,” said Robin Ahmann, a breast cancer survivor who volunteers with the Everett Rowing Association and Pink Ribbon Row.
Brandon Liu, a radiologist and medical director of the Comprehensive Breast Center, said patients in Snohomish County are inconsistent with breast cancer screening appointments. He hopes Prevention4Me will change that.
“Early detection is key,” he said.
The Comprehensive Breast Center’s Medical Director Dr. Brandon Liu on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Later this year, Providence plans to offer Prevention4Me at clinics in Mill Creek and Monroe, as well as Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.
Providence will host a free Community Cancer Screening and Resource Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 27 at 900 Pacific Ave.
Pink Ribbon Row is set to host its 25th breast cancer fundraiser Sept. 22 in Seattle. The nonprofit is looking for volunteers.
Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.
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