A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast used to detect signs or symptoms of breast cancer. This test can detect microcalcifications ( tiny calcium deposits in the breast, which are sometimes an indication of the presence of breast cancer) or tumors that cannot be felt . It is a diagnostic test that is usually requested by the gynecologist for preventative measures in women from a certain age or in cases where an exploration of small lumps is necessary.
When do the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommend that women undertake a mammography screening?
• Women who are 40 and older should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years.
• Women who have a higher than average risk of developing breast cancer should talk with their health care provider about whether to have mammograms before age 40 and how often .
What factors put women at greater risk of developing breast cancer?
The risk of breast cancer increases gradually as a woman gets older. However, the risk is not the same for all women. Research has shown that the following factors increase your chance of a woman developing this disease :
• Personal history of breast cancer : Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to develop a second breast cancer).
• Family history: The chances of a woman developing breast cancer increases if her mother, sister or daughter has had a history of breast cancer (especially if it was diagnosed before age 50 ) .
• Some changes in breast biopsy : A diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia (a condition that is not cancer in which cells have abnormal features and there are many ) or lobular carcinoma in situ ( LCIS) (abnormal cells found in the lobules of the breast ) increases the risk of breast cancer of a woman. Women who have had two or three breast biopsies because of other benign conditions also have a higher chance of developing breast cancer. This increase is due to the situation that led to the biopsy and no biopsy itself.
• genetic disorders: Specific alterations in certain genes (BRCA1 , BRCA2, and others) increase the risk of breast cancer. These alterations are rare ; not expected to reach 10 percent of all breast cancers.
In Rio we have Clinical Digital Mammography provides a sharper image and therefore provides further information specialist for more effective diagnosis. All mammograms are performed by a ray technician and later informed by a Radiologist doctor. This report is finally the gynecologist interpreted to incorporate the history of the patient.
related Sections
• Special Breast Unit
