Speaking of mammography, if you have been to the hospital for a breast specialist examination, you may be familiar with it. But if you only have a breast ultrasound (B-ultrasound) examination, you may be a little confused.
This test is very important for women’s breast health. I hope every girl can understand the importance of it. Today, Zhimei will come and talk about it.
Mammography, a method of imaging the breast with low-dose X-rays [1].
X-ray examination of the breast can clearly display all layers of breast tissue, and is specially used to screen breast tumors, It is an effective method for early detection of breast cancer [2].
Mammography is far less popular than ultrasonography due to relatively complex report interpretation, long examination time, high cost, certain radiation exposure, and poor comfort during examination.
In fact, numerous studies have shown that mammography can detect breast cancer in a timely manner, thereby reducing mortality [3,4].
First of all, Zhimei would like to emphasize that no inspection method is perfect at present, and each inspection method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and mammography and ultrasound are used to detect breast cancer. “Golden Partner”.
Dense mammary glands are those with glands as the main body and less fat content. Such mammary glands will show high background density on mammography, and it is difficult to detect small lesions in time through mammography [6].
Most Chinese women, especially young women, have dense breasts, soit is usually recommended to start mammography after the age of 40 , young women can do ultrasonography.
How do I know if I need a mammogram? I believe you will have similar confusion. In fact, just ask yourself the following questions to help you make a preliminary judgment.
1
Age 40+
Age is closely related to the risk of breast cancer, especially women over the age of 40 are recommended to have a mammogram every year as a breast cancer screening.
2
Have ever had breast-related disease
Women who have previously had breast cancer, fibroids, ductal tumors, or have high-risk factors for breast cancer. Mammography can be used for breast cancer screening before the age of 40.
3
Have a family history of breast cancer
If an immediate family member has had breast cancer, they are at a high risk of breast cancer, and you should start regular breast checkups as soon as possible as prescribed by your doctor.
4
First period before age 12
Women who menarche early (especially before age 12) have a higher risk of breast cancer than the general population. Early initiation of breast cancer screening is recommended.
5
Women who are nulliparous or have their first child after age 35
The risk of breast cancer may be reduced if the first child is born before the age of 30, and the risk of breast cancer may be increased if the first child is born after the age of 35.
In addition, regular breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Above 2-5 points, if any of these points are met, it is recommended that you start breast cancer screening as soon as possible as prescribed by your doctor, and perform mammography if necessary.
However, Zhimei also reminds everyone not to perform mammography too frequently because you are afraid of getting sick. Doing so will do more harm than good.
A yearly screening mammogram is sufficient for women over 40 or at high risk for breast cancer.
Routine screening mammography is not recommended for women under the age of 40 who do not have high risk factors for breast cancer.
In addition, if you are in a special stage of pregnancy, pregnancy, etc., it is best not to perform mammography. If you must do breast examination, breast ultrasound is the first choice.
I hope that your future medical reports will be excellent, and everyone can stay away from diseases and live healthy lives.
Reviewer
Cheng Lin| Chief Physician, Breast Center, Peking University People’s Hospital
References
[1]McLelland R, Hendrick RE, Zinninger MD, et al. The American college of radiology mammography accreditation program. Am J Roentgenol. 1991;157:497.
[2]Tabar L, Yen AM, Wu WY, et al. Insights from the breast cancer screening trials: how screening affects the natural history of breast cancer and implications for evaluating service screening programs. Breast J. 2015;21:13C20.
[3]Nickson C, Mason KE, English DR, Kavanagh AM. Mammographic screening and breast cancer mortality: a case-control study and meta-analysis. Cancer Epidemiol Biomark Prev. 2012;21 :1479C88.
[4]Broeders M, Moss S, Nystrom L, et al. The impact of mammographic screening on breast cancer mortality in Europe: a review of observational studies. J Med Screen. 2012;19 (suppl 1):14C25.
[5]Independent UK. Panel on breast cancer screening. The benefits and harms of breast cancer screening: an independent review. Lancet. 2012;380:1778C86.
[6]Stomper PC, Kopans DB, Sadowsky NL, et al. Is mammography painful? A multicenter patient study. Arch Intern Med. 1988;148:521C4.
[7] Chinese Anti-Cancer Association Breast Cancer Professional Committee. Chinese Anti-Cancer Association Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines and Specifications (2019 Edition) [J]. China Oncology, 2019,29(8) :609-679. DOI: 10.19401/j.cnki.1007-3639.2019.08.009.)
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