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| What is Mammography? |
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A
mammogram is a special X-ray image of the breast. Two X-rays
are taken for each breast. The X-rays are usually done by a
trained woman radiographer. The mammograms are then reported
by a radiologist. |
| Is Mammography Safe for Me? |
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Recent advances in mammography equipment and techniques have
resulted in women now only receiving a small radiation dose.
The benefits of being screened for breast cancer far
outweigh any potential risks of radiation from a mammogram
examination. The risk of a mammogram is equivalent to
smoking 1/8 of a cigarette.
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| How Effective is Mammography? |
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Mammography is the most effective, non invasive and the
best way to detect early breast cancer especially
when it is too small to be felt by you or your doctor. For
this reason, breast screening is now available to all women
aged 40 and above. Mammography complements but cannot
replace monthly self breast examination and regular physical
examination by your doctor even when you have reached 40
years and above. |
| Is Mammography Painful? |
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Mammography is usually described as painful by many women
but if you ask them further, you will realize it is just a
temporary discomfort. Almost all of them will say it is
definitely tolerable. Each breast is gently squeezed
(compressed) and flattened by a special device when the
x-ray images are taken. This lasts for a few seconds and
will not harm the breast. The entire examination will take
approximately half an hour from preparing for the
examination, taking the mammogram views itself and dressing
up again. |
| When Should I Go For a Mammogram? |
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The present guidelines for screening of asymptomatic women (asymptomatic = those who do not have any symptoms related to the breast) are:
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| Can I have a mammogram if I am younger than 35 years old? |
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Symptomatic
women, that is women who have signs or symptoms related to
the breast like a lump, nipple discharge, mastalgia (breast
pain), unexplained decrease or increase in breast size or
appearance, will require a mammogram to resolve the
particular problem. There is no age limit for
a mammogram should your doctor suspect you may have a
suspicious “abnormality” in your breast. |
| How many Mammogram views of the breast will be taken? |
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Normally 2 views of each breast are taken. If there is some
finding in your mammogram or in relation to your breast
symptom and sign, sometimes additional images will be
required where the abnormal area seen on the mammogram is
further compressed to give a clearer picture or a
supplementary view in a slightly different position is done. |
| What if I have a breast implant, can I still have a mammogram done? |
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It
is vital that you inform the radiographer if you have
a breast implant. Special views may be necessary for the
assessment to allow as much of the breast to be viewed on
the mammograms. Special care is also taken with regards to
compression. However, you must remember that once you have
an implant, it will obscure (block) visualization of parts
of your breast, sometimes, with only a small portion of your
breast tissue being available for imaging. This will depend
on the size of the implant and the position of the implant.
Therefore, the ability of the mammogram to pick up
abnormalities of the breast is much lower than in a “normal”
breast, free from implants. |
| What happens if there is some abnormality on my mammogram? |
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A
palpable lump or an abnormality detected on screening
mammogram may require additional mammogram views or further
examination like breast ultrasound or special mammographic
procedures such as stereotactic guided fine needle
aspiration cytology (FNAC), core biopsy or wire localisation. |
| Is Mammography Perfect? |
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Mammography may be the key to successful treatment and cure
of the disease. However, mammography can fail in detection
of some cancers since not all breast cancers produce a
recognizable change in the mammogram and this occurs more
often when the woman has dense breast tissue. Palpable
cancers are not always visible and visible cancers are not
always palpable. In the best of hands, mammograms therefore
can miss 10% of cancers. |
| How Do I Prepare for a Mammogram? |
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No
special preparation is required for a mammogram. However, it
is advisable to wear separates (two piece garments) –
sarong, skirt or pants with a button-through top. This is
helpful for the mammographic positioning and also for an
ultrasound examination, if needed. The women are advised not
to use deodorant, talcum powder or perfume which may cause
artifacts on the X-ray film and which may require a repeat
examination. You may wish to schedule a mammogram after your
period (menses) is over if you have premenstrual breast
engorgement and pain. |
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Copyright © 2001-2008 College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia Last
Updated: |
