5 Things You Need to Know About Breast Cancer Detection

1. Give Yourself a 40th Birthday Gift

A mammogram compresses the breasts between two plates, while an X-ray machine takes images of the tissue to look for abnormalities. Doctors use mammograms for screening purposes, which means a woman can benefit from the test even when she has no symptoms. The National Cancer Institute recommends that all women in their 40's have regular screening mammograms to detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most effective. Younger women should ask their doctors whether a mammogram is necessary based on their risk factors. The dense breast tissue of women under 40 makes screening mammography less effective, as the machine can't pick up changes as easily.

2. Ensure a Quality Exam

Mammograms are such an important part of a woman's health care that it's reassuring to know the FDA mandates certain quality measures in every mammography facility. The Mammography Quality Standards Act requires every facility to meet standards for their mammogram machines, technologists, doctors and procedures. For example, a doctor interpreting a mammogram must have the qualifications to interpret radiological procedures. If you've made a mammogram appointment for breast cancer detection, look for the FDA certification notice in the facility.

3. Protect Your Implants

If you've had breast augmentation surgery, you may wonder how the implants could ever survive a mammogram without rupturing. It's true the technologist must compress the breasts as flat as possible to get a clear view of all the breast tissue. However, women must not avoid this important checkup out of fear of implant damage. Ask your doctor to refer you to an imaging center that staffs technologists familiar with administering mammograms to women with implants. The technologist can shift the implants around during the procedure to view as much breast tissue as possible and to prevent implant rupture.

4. New Tests On the Horizon

Although a mammogram is still the gold standard for detecting breast cancer in women with no symptoms, researchers are studying several other tests. An ultrasound uses sound waves to identify solid tumors versus non-cancerous cysts. However, ultrasound misses the calcifications that may indicate early cancers. A PET scan picks up cancers when the tumor absorbs more radioactive material than the surrounding healthy tissue. At this time, PET scans are more useful in detecting cancers that have recurred rather than new cases of breast cancer.

5. An MRI Can Prevent Breast Surgery

One in 10 women who've had breast cancer in one breast will get cancer in the other breast. These cancers aren't always detected by mammogram, so doctors sometimes recommend breast cancer patients have surgery to remove the healthy breast in addition to the cancerous breast. New research reveals an MRI imaging test is more effective than a mammogram in picking up cancers in the healthy breast. A clear MRI on the healthy breast is often accurate enough to allow women to forgo a preventative mastectomy.