Many women wonder when they should start scheduling yearly screening mammograms. A screening mammogram is performed when there are no signs of breast cancer, and it is the best way to find cancer at its earliest stages, when it's most effectively treated.
What Is the Right Age for Screening Mammography?
Breast cancer begins in the cells of the breast, and can spread to surrounding breast tissue, the lymph nodes under the arm, behind the breastbone and near the collarbone, or to other parts of the body. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, and in 2009, about 5,400 women will die from it. Women who begin having yearly mammograms at the age of 40 and continue to get them on a regular basis are highly unlikely to ever die of breast cancer.
Screening mammograms:
You will stand in front of a mammogram machine that uses a low dose of radiation to produce images of each breast. Each breast is compressed while the pictures are taken, and the entire process only takes a few minutes. Images are recorded on film during a conventional mammogram, but stored electronically during a digital mammogram. The radiologist can manipulate the computerized images for optimal viewing, for example, magnify or brighten a suspicious area for closer inspection.
Diagnostic Mammograms
If a breast abnormality is found, the physician will probably order a diagnostic mammogram. A diagnostic mammogram is a longer procedure as more pictures of the breast are taken for in-depth analysis. A breast ultrasound exam or breast MRI may also be used in conjunction with a diagnostic mammogram. During a breast ultrasound exam, a gel is applied to the skin and a handheld instrument is used to detect echoes from sound waves and translate them into images to be viewed on a computer screen.
A breast MRI machine uses a powerful magnet and FM radio waves to create hundreds of 3D images of the breasts. Remember that in the majority of cases, a breast lump turns out to be non-cancerous. Ensure that you start getting yearly mammograms at the age of 40, and if you find a lump in your breast, make an appointment with your family doctor.
Are you at the right age for screening mammography?