According to official statistics, doctors worldwide register more than a million new cases of breast cancer each year. Most often, it is women who become victims of this dangerous disease – there is only one man for every hundred women who fall ill. The earlier the tumor is detected, the more favorable the prognosis. Today mammography remains practically the only way to detect cancer at an early stage of development.
Mammography: when to get tested?
Mammography is nothing more than an x-ray of the breast. It is carried out as prescribed by a doctor in order to assess a neoplasm found in the chest or as part of a regular examination to identify malignant tumors that are at an early stage of development and have not yet manifested themselves.
The examination is carried out as follows – the mammary gland is placed on a flat surface, under which the tube of the X-ray apparatus is located. From above, the chest is lightly pressed with a compressor and a picture is taken.
Mammography is practically painless, however, if the patient suffers from chest pain, discomfort may quickly pass during the examination.
Usually, pictures are taken in two projections, if it becomes necessary to examine a certain area of the chest, the radiologist will take targeted pictures using a narrower tube.
Mammography is recommended for all women over 50 years of age once a year or every two years, even if there are no complaints. Some medical organizations recommend annual mammography for women over 40, but at a younger age, this study is still of little information due to the high density of breast tissue.
Mammograms are not done for pregnant and lactating mothers.
If menopause has not yet arrived, mammography should be done between the 5th and 12th day of the cycle.
It is imperative to undergo mammography for women over 40 if they are in a kind of risk group:
- little or no breastfeeding
- are overweight and sedentary
- often exposing the breasts to ultraviolet light
- have not given birth or have given birth to their first child after 30 years
- smoke
- abuse alcohol
- suffered a chest injury
- have been taking oral contraceptives or some other hormonal drugs for a long time
If the patient has a family history (there were breast cancer diseases in blood relatives), then regular preventive examinations are prescribed earlier than 40 years
Risk factors have an effect in the complex, therefore, the more items from the list the patient can attribute to herself, the more carefully she needs to treat her own health.
A mammogram is also prescribed if there is reason for concern.
The disease may be indicated by:
- nodules and lumps in the chest
- nipple discharge in the absence of lactation
- swelling or changes in the structure of the skin anywhere in the breast
- change in the appearance of the nipple
- pain, bursting sensations in the mammary gland
Usually, women notice such changes themselves, sometimes the doctor finds signs of the disease during palpation during examination. Doctors remind you of the need for monthly breast self-examination – regular self-examination will not allow you to miss even the slightest changes.
It is worth remembering that pain and heaviness in the chest often occurs before menstruation, but if the discomfort does not go away or even intensifies before the next menstruation, it is necessary to visit a doctor
Most of the lumps and neoplasms detected on mammography are benign. Mammography more often reveals cysts, mastopathy and other diseases of the mammary glands that do not lead to a sad outcome and are well-treatable.
Mammography can detect cancer at the earliest stage of its development. Usually at this time, the swelling does not yet cause pain or noticeable changes in the appearance of the breast. If an oncological disease is diagnosed at an early stage, in most cases it is possible to cure the patient while preserving the mammary gland.
Often, with timely detection of cancer, it is possible to do without surgery at all and significantly reduce the duration of treatment
Recently, sometimes you can hear doubts about the advisability of regular examination with the help of a mammography and even about its safety. Of course, each mammography is an additional dose of X-ray radiation, but this dose, if the study is carried out correctly, is quite small – less than the dose with a conventional X-ray of the lungs.
Studies confirm that regularly received small doses of radiation for a long time are significantly less dangerous than the same doses received in a short time.
How is mammography performed?
In addition, the perceived danger of regular exposure is less of a problem than the late detection of breast cancer. So far, the only method of combating breast cancer in conditions of increasing incidence is its early diagnosis – the earlier a tumor is detected, the easier it is to cure it.
Other tests, such as ultrasound and sonography, are less likely to detect early signs of cancer. Ultrasound is usually prescribed for young women – the density of the mammary glands at a young age makes mammography uninformative.
It should be remembered that the absence of signs of cancer on a mammogram still does not guarantee its absence – in case of doubt, the doctor may prescribe an additional examination, including magnetic resonance imaging, sonography, and ultrasound.