Health & Fitness
5 Things You Didn't Know About Mammography
For most women, mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. Find out how often you should have one and how to prepare for it.
Mammograms are the best primary tool for detecting breast cancer in its early stages. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, having regular mammograms can lower a woman's risk of dying from breast cancer. When a mammogram screening detects cancer early — before it's big enough to feel or cause symptoms — the disease is often easier to treat.
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center offers a compassionate approach to breast evaluation and diagnosis. Its dedicated breast health specialists perform both screening and diagnostic mammograms with digital technology. This technology produces computerized images instead of traditional film, giving physicians a better view with the ability to adjust the image to aid in diagnosis.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there has never been a better time to educate yourself about screening mammograms and how they can save lives. Every woman should talk to her health care provider about her risks for breast cancer and the best screening plan for her.
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Per the CDC, if you are at higher risk for breast cancer, your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor or explore medicines or surgeries that can lower your risk. Your health care provider may also recommend that you get screening mammograms earlier and more frequently. With that said, here are five things you might not know about mammography but you definitely should.
#1. Women age 40 and older should have annual breast exams and mammograms.
Banner MD Anderson also recommends the following:
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- Having "breast self-awareness," knowing your breasts and reporting any changes to physicians.
- If you are age 35 or older, ask your doctor to calculate your breast cancer risk.
- Consider additional screening if you are at risk.
#2. It's best to go to an experienced mammography technologist.
Mammograms aren't as simple as pressing a button and taking an X-ray of your breasts. Breast positioning is a key factor in getting an accurate reading. That's why the American Cancer Society recommends that if you have a choice, use a facility that specializes in mammograms and does many mammograms each day.
#3. You should try to go to the same facility every year for your mammogram screening.
The American Cancer Society recommends women try to go to the same facility for all their mammograms so the results can more easily be compared from year to year. If you are going to a facility for the first time, try to have past mammogram results and breast treatment information sent over before your screening. This way, the old pictures can be compared to the new ones.
#4. When you have a mammogram, don't wear deodorant or antiperspirant.
Most deodorants and underarm antiperspirants contain metallic substances that can show up on a mammogram as white spots. Per Breastcancer.org, these white spots can look just like calcifications, which are a sign of an underlying process that is happening in the breast tissue.
When calcifications appear on a woman's mammogram, the radiologist reading the images will try and figure out if they have features that could suggest an underlying cancer, and additional imaging may be needed. In order to avoid having additional tests that you don't really need, breast health experts recommend simply skipping the deodorant or antiperspirant on the day of your mammogram.
#5. Try to avoid scheduling a mammogram the week before your period.
The American Cancer Society recommends women try to avoid scheduling a mammogram during the week just before their period. Having a mammogram when your breasts are not tender or swollen can help reduce discomfort and allow the technologists to get better pictures.
Why choose Banner MD Anderson for care? Banner MD Anderson has dedicated breast radiologists, mammography technologists, breast health specialists and an experienced staff who are sensitive to every woman's physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We are accredited in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy.
At Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, your Banner Health team will walk you through every stage of the process, from screening to results, to make sure that you're supported. Get started on your road to good health by scheduling an appointment at (480) 543-6900.