Know When You Need a Mammogram

If you are a woman over the age of 40, you really need a yearly mammogram. However, if you find a lump or mass in a self breast exam then do not wait for your yearly test, get one right away. According to the American Cancer Society only 10% of women will need an additional mammogram. Only up to 10% of those women will need to have a biopsy done, and of those 10% only 20% will be cancer. That means only 1 or 2 mammograms out of 1,000 lead to a cancer diagnosis, but if you are going to fall in that small percentage it is better to have caught it in its early stages for the best long term treatment options. A mammogram uses mammography, a special x-ray image that will show changes and growths in the breast. The breast is compressed in an x-ray machine and pictures are taken of at least two different angles for the best view. This is done for each breast. There are screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms. Screening mammograms are x-rayed from side to side and top to bottom while diagnostic mammograms centralize their views on a specific area or lump. Mammograms are part of the yearly physical for women. Exams are also important because not all cancers can be detected with a mammogram. Self exams should begin at age twenty and done monthly so that you can feel the changes in your breast tissue and become aware of what is normal and what is not. Manual breast exams should be part of your normal health care routine with your physician every three years at age 20, and yearly at age 40. Usually these manual breast exams are given in a yearly physical before the mammogram is scheduled so that if a mass is felt, they can devote more time to the x-ray to make it a diagnostic mammogram instead of just a screening one. A Mammogram is a woman's best defense against breast cancer. It can show the doctor changes in the breast tissue at early stages when it is much more treatable. It can show lumps before they are even able to be felt in a manual breast exam. Yearly breast mammograms can increase the rate of breast cancer survival. If you are over 40 and haven't had one yet, I strongly recommend scheduling yours, and making it a date you do every year.