MURRAY – New mammography guidelines for women receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were adopted by Intermountain Healthcare and hospitals nationwide on Tuesday.
Doctors said swelling through the vaccine could complicate accurate reading of mammograms.
The guidelines said that women who have recently had the COVID-19 vaccine or plan to get it soon may want to reschedule a next mammogram.
Swelling in the lymph nodes can lead to poor reading.
“What many people do not realize is that when we do a mammogram, we can see the lymph nodes,” said Dr. Brett Parkinson, medical director of the breast care center at Intermountain Healthcare, said.
The medical center now recommends that women over 40 receive their mammogram annually before receiving the vaccine, or delay cancer screening by at least four weeks after their final dose.
This is why: when people get the COVID-19 vaccine, their arm swells. “Those who received the vaccine can attest to that,” Parkinson said.
The swelling also appears in the lymph nodes in the armpit, usually on the same side that the shot was given, which is visible in a mammogram. Usually they do not see enlarged lymph nodes unless it is inflammation or cancer. Recent national research has found that swelling in the lymph nodes occurs in 11% of vaccine recipients after the first dose and 16% after the second dose.
“If you have a mammogram directly after a COVID vaccine, you may have enlarged lymph nodes,” Parkinson said.
He said they rarely see enlarged lymph nodes unless breast cancer has traveled to the lymph nodes or if it is lymphoma or leukemia.
If you have a mammogram immediately after a COVID vaccine, you may have enlarged lymph nodes … We do not want patients to have these false positive reactions.
-Dr. Brett Parkinson, Medical Director of Intermountain Healthcare’s Breast Care Center
“We do not want patients to get these false positive reactions to this kind of alarm,” Parkinson said. “We have therefore set out a set of guidelines that patients should follow.”
The new guidelines are also recommended by the Society of Breast Imaging after swollen lymph nodes were found in mammograms nationwide.
If the swelling in the lymph nodes does not go away after four weeks, Parkinson said you should have it examined by a doctor.
“It’s a known side effect,” he said. “Do not panic if it happens. But if it does not resolve, then come in and be seen and we will look specifically at that lymph node.”
Related links
Jed Boal