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Breast Cancer Screening

Got Breasts? Keep ‘Em Comfy With the SmartCurve® Breast Stabilization System

July 20, 2022
Experience a more comfortable mammogram with SmartCurve

Getting a mammogram is a little stressful—having your breasts squished is not the most comfortable thing in the world. We get it. And that’s why we want to ease your worries and help you feel confident (and comfy!) going to your annual exam. We’re here for you to talk all about the SmartCurve® system and how it takes a little extra care of the breasts.

Don’t Let Fear Make You Miss Your Mammogram

Some of the biggest reasons women miss their mammograms are force of compression, pinching of breasts, and time under compression.1 The number one complaint during mammograms? Pain.1 We don’t want the fear and stress to stop you from scheduling your annual exam. We DO want you to be the *breast* advocates for your health. Missing your mammogram puts you at risk of cancer being missed or being diagnosed at a more advanced stage.

Introducing the SmartCurve System

With improved comfort,2 the SmartCurve System was specially designed to address missing mammograms because of discomfort, and it actually provides a better patient experience overall for women during their exams.

So, how does the SmartCurve System make mammograms more comfortable? The curved, unique design mirrors the shape of a woman’s breast to distribute pressure more evenly, which reduces pinching and applies uniform compression over the entire breast. Its processing software is designed to take the geometry of the curved surface into account, so the resulting images have the same appearance as images taken using standard compression.2

One licensed mammographer (Nivia, R.T. of Solis Mammography) with over 20 years of experience stated, “Most of our women said that they didn’t have the discomfort in their upper arms, underneath their arms, [or in] the medial portion of the breast. They were very comfortable after we finished the mammogram.” Watch this video for more information and reasons women love SmartCurve System!

SmartCurve System + The Genius® 3D MAMMOGRAPHY™ Exam = A Better Screening Experience

More than 90% of women we surveyed found their mammograms to be more comfortable with the SmartCurve system.2 Combined with the Genius® exam that offers the fastest available scan, limiting the length of time you’re under compression, the exam itself is likely to fly by!3

More good news? Only the Genius exam finds 20-65% more invasive breast cancers4 and reduces callbacks by up to 40% compared to 2D alone.5-7 For many women, this means being spared the emotional and economic toll of additional testing, including biopsies when there could be nothing wrong.

Tips for More Comfort

Choosing the Genius exam already sets you up for a more comfortable experience. But there are a few more steps you can take to be even comfier:

  • You should also think about your flow schedule. If you’re still having menstrual periods, try scheduling your test right after your time of the month is through.8 Your breasts will probably be less tender then!
  • One more pro-tip? Don’t drink caffeine—it can make your breasts more sensitive. Try skipping it on the day of your mammogram to help improve your comfort. For even more tips, here’s a great source.
  • A big pro-tip? You can look for a provider that offers the SmartCurve system by choosing “Enhanced Comfort” on our facility finder to schedule your Genius exam ASAP.

Stay comfy, ladies!

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Disclaimers: The content in this piece is for information purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. Please contact your medical professional for specific advice regarding your health and treatment. This information may be relevant in the U.S. and other markets and is not intended as a product solicitation or promotion where such activities are prohibited. Because Hologic materials are distributed through websites, eBroadcasts and tradeshows, it is not always possible to control where such materials appear. For specific information on what products may be available in a particular country, please write to womenshealth@hologic.com. Views and opinions expressed herein by third parties are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Hologic.
The Genius® 3D MAMMOGRAPHY™ exam (a.k.a. Genius® exam) is acquired on the Hologic® 3D Mammography™ system and consists of a 2D and 3D image set, where the 2D image can be either an acquired 2D image or a 2D image generated from the 3D image set. The Genius exam is only available on the Hologic 3D Mammography system. Please consult your physician for a complete list of benefits and risks associated with mammography.
Hologic, 3D, 3D Mammography, Genius, The Science of Sure, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Hologic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.

  • 1. Kadence International, Ten Thousand Quantitative Findings Research Study (5107), April 2017.
    2. Smith, A. Improving Patient Comfort in Mammography. Hologic WP-00019 Rev 001 (2017)
    3. Data on file DHM-05051_002
    4. Results from Friedewald, SM, et al. “Breast cancer screening using tomosynthesis in combination with digital mammography.” JAMA 311.24 (2014): 2499-2507; a multi-site (13), non-randomized, historical control study of 454,000 screening References:mammograms investigating the initial impact the introduction of the Hologic Selenia Dimensions on screening outcomes. Individual results may vary. The study found an average 41% (95% CI: 20-65%) increase and that 1.2 (95% CI: 0.8-1.6) additional invasive breast cancers per 1000 screening exams were found in women receiving combined 2D FFDM and 3D™ mammograms acquired with the Hologic 3D Mammography™ System versus women receiving 2D FFDM mammograms only.
    5. Friedewald S, Rafferty E, Rose S, et al. “Breast Cancer Screening using Tomosynthesis in Combination with Digital Mammography.” Journal of the American Medical Association. 2014 July; 311(24):2499-2507. Epub 2014 June 24
    6. Rose S, Tidwell A, Bujnock L, et al. “Implementation of Breast Tomosynthesis in a Routine Screening Practice: An Observational Study.” American Journal of Roentengenology. 2013 Jun; 200(6): 1401-1408. Epub 2013 May 22.
    7. Bernardi D, Macaskill P, Pellegrini M, et. al. Breast cancer screening with tomosynthesis (3D mammography) with acquired or synthetic 2D mammography compared with 2D mammography alone (STORM-2): a population-based prospective study. Lancet Oncol. 2016 Aug;17(8):1105-13
    8. 6 Tips for a Successful and Comfortable Mammogram. UnityPoint Health. https://www.unitypoint.org/article.aspx?id=7672aac7-c7f5-4cf5-8873-bd3092eca6f1. Accessed April 6, 2022.

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