As breast cancer awareness increases, more women are having regular mammograms.
Mammograms, which are X-rays of the breast, are the most effective way of detecting breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute reports that mammograms, which screen for breast cancer, tumors and calcium deposits, have reduced the number of deaths from breast cancer in women ages 40 to 69. According to nonprofit organization Breastcancer.org, mammograms have lowered the risk of death by 35 percent in women over 50. Despite their safety, accuracy and life-saving effectiveness, mammograms come with some disadvantages and limitations. However, the benefits of mammograms significantly outweigh the disadvantages, and NCI still recommends that women receive annual mammograms beginning at the age of 40.
False Negatives
Despite their effectiveness, mammograms can produce false negatives. According to NCI, screening mammograms miss about 20 percent of breast cancers present during the procedure. False negatives are more common in younger women because their breasts are more dense, which makes a mammogram's detection of breast cancer or signs of cancer more difficult.
False Positives
False positives occur when a health care professional or radiologist believes a mammogram is abnormal, although no cancer is present. False positives not only create worry in patients, they cause more stress with the follow-up visits and testing required after any abnormal mammogram. Follow-up testing includes ultrasounds, biopsy and diagnostic mammograms, which check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign of cancer is found during a screening mammogram. Like false negatives, false positives occur more often in younger women as well as women who have had previous breast biopsies, women with a family history of breast cancer and women who are taking estrogen.
Radiation Exposure
Like all X-rays, a mammogram uses a small amount of radiation. While mammograms use less radiation than a standard chest X-ray, repeated exposure to radiation could lead to problems. However, according to NCI, the amount of radiation and the risk of harm are so slight that the benefits of mammograms significantly outweigh the risk of radiation exposure.
Other Limitations
Despite their success and effectiveness in early breast cancer detection, mammograms cannot always detect some cancers or signs of cancer. According to Breastcancer.org, mammograms can miss as many as 20 percent of breast cancers that are not visible to this method of detection. Mammograms have limitations that depend on the growth of cancer or how long cancer has been present. For example, even though mammograms can detect tumors that can't be felt during a self-exam or clinical breast exam, some tumors may be so aggressive that the cancer may have already spread to other parts of the body. The effectiveness of a mammogram is also limited by a woman's age, as studies have yet to show the benefit of regular screening for women under 40 years old.
Making up for Disadvantages
To make up for the limitations and disadvantages of mammograms, women should regularly practice self-exams and receive clinical breast exams by a health care professional. Other forms of breast imaging, such as an ultrasound or MRI, can also help make up for the limitations of mammograms.
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