Getting a mammogram is one of the most important things a woman can do to detect breast cancer early. Unfortunately, more and more women are not getting the message. The percentage of women who reported having a recent mammogram has fallen over 15 percent in Washington State over the last year. That’s why Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Group Health are launching the Make a Mammogram Promise campaign.
Mammograms are X-rays that produce an image of the breast to detect abnormalities that may be too small to see or feel. On average, mammograms detect around 80 percent of breast cancers in women who have no symptoms, with that percentage rising with women’s age. Regular screening mammograms are recommended for women. Talk to your doctor to determine when is best for you to start and how often to repeat.
Mammography can now be performed digitally. “Digital technology is better at finding breast cancers for some women and is more comfortable for the patient,” says Dr. Constance Lehman, MD, PhD, director of Breast Imaging at SCCA.
Studies have shown that digital mammography can detect breast cancer as well as film-screen mammography does in women aged 50-79 years. If women aged 40-49 years get screening mammography, they may choose digital over film-screen mammography to optimize cancer detection. That is because women in their 40s are more likely to have extremely dense breasts, in which digital mammography may outperform film-screen mammography at detecting breast cancer.
“Women should know that being called back for more testing after screening mammography doesn’t necessarily mean that you have cancer,” says Dr. Diana Buist, PhD, MPH, senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. “In fact, you probably don’t.” Such “false positives” happen more when the radiologist has no prior mammogram available to compare with, for instance with first mammograms. They also happen more often before menopause.
Several studies, including a recent one from Group Health Research Institute, also show that doctors who have spent more of their time in mammography are more accurate at interpreting mammography images when compared to physicians with less experience.
