Here’s what to know….
You may want to reschedule your next mammogram if it falls too close to your vaccination appointment
The following written content by Korin Miller
A leading breast imaging organization in the country is recommending that women wait to schedule a mammogram until four weeks after their COVID-19 vaccine over concerns about an odd new side effect.
The Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) is warning that women who were recently vaccinated could have swelling and a lump in the lymph nodes of their armpit, which can be mistaken as a sign of breast cancer. The SBI issued the recommendation in a recently-released three-page document, which warns about the risk of the vaccine causing axillary adenopathy, aka a change in the size and consistency of lymph nodes in the armpit that can be a sign of breast cancer. (In the case of breast cancer, axillary adenopathy can be a signal that breast cancer has spread.)
While the SBI says that axillary adenopathy is “rare” in general and “rarely reported’ after HPV and flu vaccines, it also notes that women who have recently been vaccinated against COVID-19 may experience this.
The SBI cites data that found 11.6% of patients who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had swelling or tenderness after receiving their second shot and that lymphadenopathy, i.e. swelling, happened in more than 1% of people in clinical trials. These symptoms were more rare in people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, but they did happen.
Worth noting: The SBI guidance also says that the “true incidence rate” of these symptoms are “likely higher” with both vaccines—which means that more women have likely experienced this side effect and didn’t notice or didn’t report it.
As a result, the SBI issued this recommendation: “If possible, and when it does not unduly delay care, consider scheduling screening exams prior to the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination or 4-6 weeks following the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.” The SBI also recommends that clinicians find out a patient’s vaccination status before their mammogram and when the vaccine was given.
The main concern: A vaccinated woman may worry that she’s developed breast cancer after spotting a breast lump or receive a false reading on her mammogram and be subject to unnecessary tests.
While the news is a little freaky, doctors aren’t shocked that this is happening. Here’s why. Read more from Health.
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