Nov. 12, 2013 - New York Times: Amy Robach, an anchor on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” had avoided her doctor’s recommendation for a mammogram screening for a year, when a producer for the show called at the end of September and asked her to consider undergoing a televised mammogram. On Oct. 1, as all the major television networks promoted the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ms. Robach submitted to the screening live on the show. A television camera discreetly showed the procedure. Normally, these morning-show segments end there. But unbeknown to viewers, the mammogram turned up evidence of cancer. On Monday Ms. Robach announced on “Good Morning America” that she would undergo a double mastectomy later this week.

Palpable breast masses are the most common presenting feature of breast carcinoma, which is the second leading cause of female cancer deaths in the United States. Imaging evaluation of breast masses is necessary in almost every case, as their clinical features are commonly nonspecific. The ACR Appropriateness Criteria for palpable breast masses, which provides thorough recommendations for particular imaging methods and patient situations, was published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

October 23, 2013: Missed mammograms increase the risk of a later breast cancer diagnosis, according to a study in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Researchers from Marshfield Clinic Weston Center in Weston, Wis., and the University of Queensland in Australia undertook a retrospective study to identify patient characteristics associated with missed mammograms and associations between the missed screenings and later diagnosis of breast cancer.

September 26, 2013: Older women living in the poorest areas of Appalachia fail to get regular breast cancer screening and have a higher incidence of late-stage breast cancer, according to a new study published in the journal Health Services Research.