What Do You Know About Mammograms?

Also ask if the facility follows FDA quality-assurance programs and if the radiologists who read the mammograms are board certified.

These X-rays are your property and will help the radiologist compare current films with past ones to spot changes.

The benefits and limitations of mammography vary, based on factors like age and personal risk. Experts have different recommendations for mammography. Currently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening every 2 years for women ages 50 to 74. The American Cancer Society recommends that yearly screening be an option for women at average risk, starting at age 40. The ACS also recommends yearly mammograms be done from age 45 to 54. At age 55, women should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or they may continue yearly screening. Women should talk with their doctors about their personal risk factors before making a decision about when to start getting mammograms or how often they should get them.

The chemicals in these products could distort the mammogram imaging.

Breast cancer occurs more often in women age 50 and older.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a screening mammogram is an X-ray of the breast used to detect breast changes in women who have no signs of breast cancer. It usually involves two X-rays of each breast. Using a mammogram, it is possible to detect a tumor that cannot be felt. A diagnostic mammogram is an X-ray of the breast used to diagnose unusual breast changes, such as a lump, pain, nipple thickening or discharge, or a change in breast size or shape. A diagnostic mammogram is also used to evaluate abnormalities detected on a screening mammogram. It usually involves more X-rays of the breast from different angles.

Digital mammography is a method that records X-ray images in computer code instead of on X-ray film. Research studies so far have not shown that digital images are more effective in finding cancer than X-ray film images. The NCI says that perimenopausal women with dense breasts may benefit from digital mammograms. From the patient's point of view, digital mammography is done the same way as a regular mammogram.