Mammogram Magic
Too many women continue to question
the test’s reliability and safety of
mammogram. Bottom line: breast cancer is highly curable, if caught early. But in order to be treated, it must be detected. And while mammography doesn’t have a hundred percent accuracy rate, it still is a woman’s defense.
As is true of most cancers, the incidence of breast cancer increases with age. By her 30th birthday, a woman’s chances of getting the disease are one in 2525. By age 40 the odds reach one in 217. And at 50, the likelihood that a woman will get breast cancer climbs to one in 50. Experts generally advise that a woman with a family history of breast cancer have her first mammogram between ages 35 and 39. Most other women probably don’t need this baseline mammogram – one against which future tests are compared – until they reach the age of 40.
Even with a mammogram a woman should examine her
breasts monthly – first in the shower (when soapy skin makes feeling a lump easier), and later sitting up, then lying down. Also crucial is an annual check up with an experienced breast specialist. And if you have suspicious symptoms – nipple discharge, a lump or a change in breast contour – see your doctor immediately.
Breasts are made up of glands, ducts, connective tissue and some fat. Breasts with little fat are considered dense. Women with breasts characterized as dense need to be aware of the limits to accurate screening with mammography alone. Some older women have dense breast tissue, but it is far more common in young women, affecting 80 percent of those under 39. as a result of extreme breast density, 25 percent of cancers in women in their 40’s are missed by mammograms. The reason: on mammogram, fatty tissue looks black. Everything else – glands, connective tissue, tumors – looks white. A tumor is more easily identified against a backdrop of fatty tissue. A follow – up ultrasound is often ordered when a mass is seen on a mammogram, because ultrasound can show whether a lump is solid or a fluid – filled cyst.