MURRAY – New mammography guidelines for women receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were adopted on Tuesday by Intermountain Healthcare and hospitals across the country.
Doctors said the swelling with the vaccine could complicate the accurate reading of mammograms.
The guidelines state that women who recently received the COVID-19 vaccine or plan to have it soon may be able to reschedule a mammogram.
Swollen lymph nodes can lead to poor reading.
“What many people don’t 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.
The medical center now recommends that women over 40 have their annual mammogram before receiving the vaccine, or postpone cancer screening for at least four weeks after the final dose.
Here’s why: When people get the COVID-19 vaccine, their arms swell. “Those who were vaccinated can attest to that,” said Parkinson.
This swelling also appears in the lymph nodes in the armpit region, usually on the same side as the injection, which is visible on mammography. Usually, they do not see enlarged lymph nodes, unless it is inflammation or cancer. Recent national research has found swelling in lymph nodes in 11% of vaccine recipients after the first dose and 16% after the second dose.
“So when you have a mammogram right after the COVID vaccine, you may have enlarged lymph nodes,” said Parkinson.
He said they rarely see enlarged lymph nodes, unless the breast cancer has traveled to the lymph nodes or if it’s lymphoma or leukemia.
So, when you have a mammogram right after the COVID vaccine, you may have enlarged lymph nodes … We don’t want patients to receive these false positives to have this type of alarm.
–Dr. Brett Parkinson, medical director, Intermountain Healthcare Breast Care Center
“We don’t want patients to receive these false positives to have this type of alarm,” said Parkinson. “So, we put a set of guidelines for patients to follow.”
The new guidelines are also recommended by the Society of Breast Imaging after swollen lymph nodes were found on mammograms across the country.
If the swelling in your lymph nodes doesn’t go away after four weeks, Parkinson said you should see a doctor.
“This is a known side effect,” he said. “Don’t panic when that happens. But if it doesn’t, then go in and be seen and we’ll look at that lymph node specifically.”
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Jed Boal