FAQ Mammography
- I've heard it hurts to have mammogram. Does
it have to?
- How much radiation am I exposed to?
- My doctor told me I needed to get repeat additional
views, diagnostic mammogram, breast ultrasound, breast MRI or
PET Scan. Why?
- Will my breast implants "pop" if I
have a mammogram?
- Should I have a mammogram if I am still breast
feeding?
- Breast cancer doesn't run in my family. Why
do I need a mammogram?
- What are some of the risk factors associated
with breast cancer?
- How accurate is a mammogram?
- What is CAD? (computer aided diagnostics)
- Why is early detection so important?
1. I've heard it hurts to have mammogram. Does it have to?
Adequate compression of the breast is essential to detect subtle
abnormalities and reduce radiation exposure. Compression can be
briefly uncomfortable. Scheduling your exam 1 week following the
start of your menstrual cycle (or when your breasts are least tender)
can help to reduce discomfort you may experience during compression
due to premenstrual tenderness.
Eliminating coffee, tea or caffeinated products 5 days prior to
your examination and taking a pain reliever such as Tylenol,
Motrin or Aleve 1 hour prior to your exam may also
help.
2. How much radiation am I exposed to?
Radiation exposure from a mammogram is about 0.2 to 0.3 rads per
breast or roughly equivalent to less than 3 weeks of naturally occurring
radiation from the environment. There is no direct evidence that
this amount of radiation has any effect on the breast, particularly
after age 40. For more information about radiation exposure, see
basic principles of radiation safety.
3. My doctor told me I needed to get repeat additional views,
diagnostic mammogram, breast ultrasound or a breast MRI. Why?
Sometimes it is difficult to get all the information necessary
for a quality examination from two views of the breast. Additional
or magnification views permit more information to be gathered about
an area of concern. Breast ultrasound is generally used to determine
if a lump is fluid filled (cystic) or solid (could be malignant
or benign). The result in many cases is still negative. You may
have dense breasts, which are more difficult to diagnose with two
views or scar tissue from a previous surgery. MRI of the breast
may be recommended in cases where conventional mammography and ultrasound
show vague abnormalities. It is particularly effective for imaging
women with dense breasts.
In equivocal cases where the MRI is non-conclusive, a PET scan
may be recommended by your physician in order to distinguish scar
from malignancy. A PET scan is the most accurate test available
to detect malignancy in dense breasts particularly for those patients
with significant family history of breast disease. Medicare and
private insurance companies have recently agreed to fund the use
of PET imaging for staging breast cancer and re-evaluation of tumor
response to therapy.
4. Will my breast implants "pop" if I have a mammogram?
These occurrences are extremely rare. The average mammogram generates
less than 4 lbs. of pressure. Most breast implants are designed
to withstand hundreds of pounds of pressure. If you have breast
implants, it is equivalently important that you participate in regular
mammography screenings. See mammography with breast implants.
5. Should I have a mammogram if I am still breast feeding?
Unless you are experiencing symptoms, mammograms should be postponed
if you are breast feeding. It takes about 3 months for breasts to
return to normal after nursing stops.
6. Breast cancer doesn't run in my family. Why do I need a mammogram?
Regular mammography is important for ALL women. Three out of 4
women diagnosed with breast cancer have no risk factors for the
disease. ALL women are at risk for breast cancer with the risk increasing
as they age. If you are female and over 40, you need a mammogram
every year regardless of your family history.
7. What are some of the risk factors associated with breast
cancer?
Known risk factors for breast cancer include; Family history of
cancer, late pregnancy (after 35), or never bearing children, significant
radiation exposure as a child and previous breast biopsies indicating
hyperplasia or atypia.
8. How accurate is a mammogram?
A mammogram may not be a perfect assessment of your breast health.
When an abnormality does appear on a mammogram and biopsy is recommended,
only 1 out 3 to 4 is malignant (cancerous). About 10 to 15 % of
breast cancers cannot be seen on a mammogram, but mammography is
still the best tool available for detecting early cancers too small
to be felt.
9. What is CAD? (computer aided diagnostics)
CAD, computer aid diagnostics is provided with all screening mammography
examinations at all TRA outpatient imaging locations. CAD involves
the use of sophisticated computer programming to analyze medical
images following initial interpretation by a radiologist. It is
estimated that use of CAD can improve diagnostic accuracy of a mammogram
examination by 15 to 20%.
10. Why is early detection so important?
Finding cancer early allows the best chance for survival and decreases
the amount of treatment that will be needed.
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