March 15, 2021
Mammography Update:
- It is recommended that screening breast imaging (mammogram, ultrasound or MRI) be performed before the vaccination, or 4-6 weeks following vaccination.
- It is NOT recommended to postpone routine screening any longer than 4-6 weeks as more serious conditions can also present with enlarged lymph nodes (adenopathy).
- If there are symptoms related to the breast, such as pain, skin changes, nipple discharge or a palpable lump, imaging should NOT be delayed.
Reports of some patients developing swollen lymph nodes after a COVID-19 vaccination has raised questions about whether screening mammograms should be rescheduled due to concerns that this finding could be mistaken for a potential breast cancer diagnosis.
“If you’ve had a COVID-19 vaccination, it’s still important to come in for your screening mammogram,” says Dr. Kristin Robinson, a radiologist at the Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic in Florida. “Let your mammogram technologist know that you’ve had the vaccine and which arm it was administered in. This information will be helpful in understanding the mammogram images.”
CDC Guidance re: COVID Vaccine and Routine Vaccines:
| Can COVID-19 vaccine recipients be given other vaccines at the same visit? |
| There are no data on the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered with any other vaccine. For this reason, CDC currently recommends that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series should be administered alone, and not within 14 days before or after any other vaccination. However, mRNA COVID-19 and other vaccines may be administered at shorter intervals if the benefits of vaccination are judged to outweigh any unknown potential risks of vaccine coadministration. Examples of such situations include tetanus vaccination as a part of wound management, vaccination in response to a measles or hepatitis A outbreak, or COVID-19 vaccination of a person in a long-term care facility or healthcare setting who recently received influenza or other vaccinations (to avoid delays or missed opportunities for COVID-19 vaccination). If mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are administered within 14 days of another vaccine, doses do not need to be repeated for either vaccine. |
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