Best screening test for detecting Breast cancer is Mammography.
A yearly Mammogram is given routinely to women who appear to be healthy and are not suspected of having Breast Cancer, Their purpose is to find Breast Cancer early, before any symptoms can develop and the cancer usually is easier to treat.
Mammograms don’t prevent breast cancer, but they can save lives by finding breast cancer as early as possible.
THE VALUE OF SCREENING MAMMOGRAMS:
- The American Medical Association, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The American College of Radiology, The American Cancer Society and The National Cancer Institute, all have issued guidelines saying that all women should be eligible for screening mammograms starting at age 40.
- Finding breast cancers early with mammography has also meant that many more women being treated for breast cancer are able to keep their breasts. When caught early, Localized cancers can be removed without resorting to breast removal (mastectomy).
Five Important Things to Know About Mammograms:
- They can save your life: Finding breast cancer early reduces your risk of dying from the disease.
- Don`t be afraid: Mammography is a fast procedure (about 20 minutes), and discomfort is minimal for most women, The procedure is safe. There’ s only a very tiny amount of radiation exposure from a mammogram.
- Get the best quality you can: A digital mammogram is recorded onto a computer so that doctors can enlarge certain sections to look at them more closely.
- Mammography is our most powerful breast cancer detection tool: However, Mammograms can still miss 20% of Breast Cancers that are simply not visible using this technique. Other important tools such as Breast self-Exam, Clinical Breast Examination, and possible ultrasound or MRI-can and be used as complementary tools, but there are no substitutes or replacements for mammogram.
- An unusual result requiring further testing doesn’t always mean you have Breast Cancer:Â About 8-10% of these women will need biopsy, and about 80% of these biopsies will turn out not be cancer. It’ s normal to worry if you get called back for more testing, but try not to assume the worst until you have more information.