Mammography

1. DR. STEVEN QUAY What is a mammography? Mammography is the screening test that is used to find early breast cancer. Mammography uses low-energy X-rays to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through detection of characteristic masses or microcalcifications. More recently, it has been determined that the overall “density” of the background image of the breast is an indicator of future breast cancer. This background density or whiteness varies from woman-to- woman and changes during a women’s life. •In mammography, each breast is compressed horizontally. •During a screening mammogram, the breast is placed between two plastic plates. •The plates then are briefly compressed to flatten the breast tissue. •Two views usually are taken of each breast. What is dense breast tissue? Dense breast tissue refers to the appearance of breast tissue on a mammogram. It’s a normal and frequent finding. Breast tissue is composed of glands that make milk during breast feeding, ducts that conduct milk to the nipple, and supportive tissue (dense breast tissue), and fatty tissue (nondense breast tissue).

2. Dense breast tissue is whiter on a mammogram which makes it difficult to see through. Fatty tissue is grayer on a mammogram. When viewed on a mammogram, women with dense breasts have more dense tissue than fatty tissue. What tests are recommended for breast cancer screening? Most medical organizations recommend women with an average risk of breast cancer consider regular mammogram testing beginning at age 40 and consider repeating the screening annually. Women with dense breasts, but no other risk factors for breast cancer, are considered to have a higher risk of breast cancer than average. They may benefit from annual breast cancer screening. Dense breast tissue makes it more difficult to interpret a mammogram, since cancer and dense breast tissue both appear white on a mammogram. Very dense breasts may increase the risk that cancer won’t be detected on a mammogram. Despite concerns about detecting cancer in dense breasts, mammograms are still effective screening tools. The most common type of mammogram — digital mammogram — saves images of your breasts as digital files instead of film and allows for more detailed analysis. This is more effective at finding cancer in dense breast tissue than older film mammogram technology.