Mammography:Advice on screening for breast cancer

Published on: March 27, 2024

According to a University of Mississippi doctor, the most crucial first step in diagnosing and treating breast cancer is getting timely and efficient tests.
The most common non-skin cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality for women globally is breast cancer. However, since 1980, there has been a notable decline in the fatality rate from breast cancer, according to UM Health Services physician Dr. Hubert Spears Mammography.

Better screening is probably also a major contributing factor, but improved treatment is responsible for much of this progress,” he added. “Rather than through physical examination, the majority of breast cancers in the United States are now discovered through radiologic screening of asymptomatic women.”

Modern screening methods identify breast cancers early on, before they have an opportunity to spread throughout the body. According to Spears, this facilitates their surgical removal.

The patient will determine the best time and frequency for women to begin screening for breast cancer.
According to Spears, the current approach is to categorize individuals into three risk groups: average, significantly elevated, and high risk.

Gene mutation and family medical history determine risk. Patients who have had chest radiation treatment for any other reason, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, between the ages of 10 and 30, and those who have a mutation in either the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene are considered to be in the high-risk category.
According to Spears, the majority of women are in the average risk category, which also includes those who have a close family who has breast cancer.
Additional variables that contribute to a slightly elevated risk of breast cancer development are:
Mammographic elevation of breast tissue density;
Extended menstrual history involving an earlier commencement of menses, a later menopause, or a mix of both;
Fewer pregnancies, none at all, or pregnancies only beyond the age of thirty; less months of breastfeeding; ancestry; and obesity following menopause

Mammography breast cancer over the frequency of screening, there is disagreement among professionals over whether it should be done annually or every two years. Beginning in the 40s, there are guidelines for shared decision-making and individualization between physicians and patients.

Breast cancer will affect less than 15% of women who are considered to be at average risk. For the group at moderate risk, that figure rises to 15%–20%, and for the group at high risk, it surpasses 20%.
According to Spears, persons with a BRCA 1 mutation had the highest risk of acquiring breast cancer, with a 60%–75% chance of doing so. The high-risk category also has a propensity for earlier cancer diagnosis. The screening recommendations for the high-risk category fluctuate significantly as a result.

A lot of these patients choose to have prophylactic bilateral ovaries and fallopian tube removals as well as prophylactic bilateral mastectomies,” he stated. “It is advised that those who opt out of these surgical procedures begin monthly self-examinations at age 18, yearly MRIs at age 25, and yearly mammograms with tomosynthesis at age 35.

Within the same year, the mammography and MRI are scheduled six months apart from the time they begin.

Advantages and Dangers of Screening Mammography

It’s crucial to discuss any screening test, including a mammography, with your doctor before having one because they all have advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage of Screening

Early detection of cancer makes treatment easier, which is one advantage of screening.

False positive test results occur when a clinician notices something that seems to be cancer but is not. This is one of the risks associated with screening harms. This may result in more testing, which might be costly, intrusive, time-consuming, and perhaps anxiety-inducing.

Additionally, tests may result in an overdiagnosis, whereby medical professionals identify a malignancy that might not have progressed to create symptoms or issues, or even disappear on its own. Overtreatment refers to the way certain malignancies are treated. Treatments like radiation therapy or surgery that are advised for breast cancer may be overdone. These may have unneeded and undesirable side effects. Radiation exposure from the mammography test itself and discomfort experienced during treatments are two further possible side effects of breast cancer screening. Although repeated X-rays provide some danger, the radiation dose from a mammogram is minimal.

Additionally, certain tumors may be missed by mammograms, a condition known as false negative test findings, which can postpone diagnosing and treating a malignancy.

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