Riverdale mammography site expands access to breast cancer screenings

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month spotlights the importance of early detection, Riverdale’s mammography site, launched this summer, provides easier access to care for patients in the community. 

Montefiore Einstein Radiology opened on Corlear Avenue in June and offers mammograms, ultrasounds and MRI and CT scans. Before this, the next closest Montefiore imaging and radiology site was in Norwood. 

As Montefiore is one of the largest providers of Medicaid and Medicare services in the state, accessibility is crucial, said Richard Ha, vice chair of radiology outpatient imaging operations and chief of community radiology.

“[Staying local] tends to be the preference, especially for under-resourced or underprivileged patients,” Ha said. “Where they don’t have a car and have to rely on transportation or have other demands where they can’t spend too much time traveling from one site to another.”

He later added that Montefiore Einstein Radiology is expected to conduct 4,000 screenings this year.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month began four decades ago, with a partnership between nonprofit American Cancer Society and the medical manufacturer AstraZeneca, known at the time as Imperial Chemical Industries. It is aimed at educating the public on cancer and promoting early detection — namely through routine mammograms. 

During a mammogram, the breasts are placed between two plastic plates and compressed, while an X-ray machine captures images of the tissue. Fatty tissue appears darker, while tumors, calcifications or other abnormal areas absorb more X-rays and appear lighter. 

The mammography machine at Montefiore Einstein Radiology has an option for patients to use a remote and control the amount of pressure that is placed on their breasts, something Ha said has made women more comfortable. 

Though breast cancer rates in the Bronx and in New York City have increased in the last 40 years, mortality has decreased. Between 2012 and 2016, there were roughly 1,580 cases of breast cancer in the Bronx, and about 330 of those women died, according to the New York State Cancer Registry. 

Nationwide, breast cancer rates in women under 50 years old have risen about 1.4 percent each year from 2016 to 2022, slightly higher than cases of women over 50, which is growing at 1 percent each year, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 

“One thing people don’t realize is a lot of breast cancer occurs in patients with no known genetic history of breast cancer or no known family history,” Ha said. “Given that, it’s even further challenging to figure out why it’s occurring in younger patients … a lot of people are working on it, but there’s no clear data emerging yet.” 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are hereditary.

Fifty-six-year-old Delisa Jones, a Riverdale resident for eight years, is among the many breast cancer patients with no family history. She has gotten annual check-ups since turning 40, but missed one last year, and was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in May. 

“I was devastated, because I’m the go-to person,” Jones said. “After I got off the phone with [the doctor], I burst out crying.” 

In June, Jones underwent surgery to remove the lump and started radiation shortly after. One of the hardest parts has been recovering from the pain of her lymph node biopsy, a procedure that involves making an incision in the armpit and extracting a lymph node to test if the cancer has spread. 

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to target cancer cells. This is different from chemotherapy. Where chemotherapy is either injected into the veins or taken orally, circulating throughout the entire body, radiation is more localized. It doesn’t weaken the immune system, or cause nausea and hair loss like chemotherapy does. Administering either depends on the stage and type of cancer. 

Despite the pain of recovering from surgery, and the exhaustion of radiation, Jones kept going to work. As an operating engineer in construction, she coordinated her radiation treatments around a schedule that often included 12-hour night shifts. Her coworkers, mostly men, were incredibly supportive. 

“I get off at 5 a.m., come home, wash up, throw on clothes and run to the hospital by 7 a.m.,” Jones said. “Was I exhausted? I was totally exhausted. But I just kept going.” 

Now, she is taking anastrozole, a medication that lowers estrogen levels. For the type of breast cancer Jones had —hormone receptor-positive — estrogen is what stimulates the growth of cancer cells. The symptoms of anastrozole are like menopause, with many women enduring fatigue, body pain, hot flashes and nausea, amongst other things. 

Jones described pins and needles throughout her body, constant pain and swelling on the side of her body she had surgery on and feeling like she can’t get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes she picks up a light can or a glass and feels like she’s going to drop it. When Jones is distracted at work, it gives some relief, she said. 

Alongside her own strength, Jones leaned on a support system that kept her grounded. Her three kids, as well as her friends, were there whenever she needed them. Her sister attended every doctor’s appointment with her. 

Now, when she talks to other women, Jones encourages them to get a mammogram, and to not put it off due to fear or the misconception that they couldn’t be someone who gets cancer. Some people, she said, think if they’re healthy, like she is, they’re not at risk. 

“You have to be strong,” Jones said. “A lot of people think they’re not strong, but we’re stronger than we think we are. And when you get that diagnosis, you can beat it.” 

The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms starting around age 40 but should be earlier if the patient has a family history or genetic mutation that increases the risk of breast cancer.