Integrity Score 1170
No Records Found
No Records Found
Mammography is the best tool doctors have to screen healthy people for breast cancer, as it has been shown to lower deaths from the disease. Like any medical test, mammography involves risks, such as the possibility of additional testing and anxiety if the test falsely shows a suspicious finding, called a "false-positive" result.
Digital mammography may be better able to find breast cancers, particularly in dense breasts. A newer type of mammogram is called tomosynthesis or 3D mammography. It may improve the ability to find small cancers and reduce the need to repeat tests due to false-positives. However, there is also the risk of diagnosing problems in the breast that would otherwise go unnoticed and would not lead to any negative consequences.
Other breast cancer screening methods
Other ways to examine the breasts, such as an ultrasound and/or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, are not regularly used to screen for breast cancer in many women at average risk. However, these tests may be helpful when there is a very high risk of breast cancer, those with dense breast tissue, or when a lump or mass is found during a breast examination.
However, ultrasounds can be very useful in diagnosing breast cancer when an abnormality is found on mammog. MRI use in routine screening is also controversial, although there are very high-risk populations in which it is recommended.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), women who have BRCA gene mutations, who have a very strong family history of breast cancer should consider mammography and MRI each year.
Women at moderate risk of breast cancer, such as women with precancerous changes on a biopsy or mutations in other genes that increase risk of breast cancer, can talk with their doctor about whether MRI screening should be considered.
MRI may be better than mammography and ultrasound at finding a small mass in the breast, especially when there is very dense breast tissue. However, an MRI has a higher rate of false-positive test results, which may mean more biopsies, surgeries, and other tests that may lead to overdiagnosis.
Sources - https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/screening
Photo Credits -
https://deewhymedical.com/breast-cancer/