When it comes to preventing breast cancer, early detection is key, which is why regular mammograms are so important. According to the American College of Radiology, mammograms have reduced breast cancer mortality by 40% since 1990.
“Mammograms are very important in detecting breast cancer at its earliest stages,” says Dr. Toma Omofoye, a breast radiologist and associate professor in the Department of Breast Imaging at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “Breast cancer that is detected in mammography before it can be felt typically is a disease that is much easier to treat. It’s at a lower stage, has a less intensive course of treatment, or a much shorter course of treatment that may not need to have the whole gamut of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.”
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of breast tissue used by doctors and radiologists to detect early signs of breast cancer. And when you need to get one depends on a few factors–your age, your risk and your race/ethnicity.
“Every person with breasts has a risk of developing breast cancer,” explains Omofoye. “In the United States, for women, there is a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer in your lifetime. It’s less common in men–the chances are one in 800 in the U.S., but it occurs in men as well. There’s no such thing as low risk, unless you’ve had your breasts removed.”
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network advises people with an average risk of developing breast cancer should schedule annual mammograms beginning at age 40. But if you have any number of risk factors, including family history, previous breast biopsies, atypical cells and/or dense breast tissue, you may need to get a mammogram sooner. Early detection is especially crucial for Black women and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, who are disproportionately impacted by the disease, which is estimated to kill about 45,000 women each year.
Black women are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age and 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, while one in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women has a BRCA gene mutation, which increases risk of getting breast cancer at a young age, as well as ovarian and other cancers.
There are two types of mammograms: a screening mammogram and a diagnostic mammogram. Which one you need will depend on your individual risk factors or current symptoms. If you’re experiencing discharge from your nipples, pain, or breast lumps, you may need a diagnostic mammogram. But the process is the same for both.
Before the mammogram
Illustration by Rita Liu
Illustration by Rita Liu
Illustration by Rita Liu
To minimize potential discomfort, you’ll want to plan for a week or so after your menstrual cycle to avoid tenderness. Mammograms don’t require fasting, so you’re able to eat beforehand as well. If you’re breastfeeding, you may want to bring a pump along with you or prepare to hand express in order to empty your breasts as much as possible before the mammogram.
Once you arrive for your screening, you’ll be taken back to a private waiting room where you’ll remove your top and bra then change into a robe.
During the mammogram
Illustration by Rita Liu
“Mammography is one test to detect breast cancer, but it’s not the only test,” explains Omofoye. “People who are above average risk may need additional screening tests on top of mammography.”
After the technologist has collected your information, you’ll slip off your robe halfway or entirely, if you like.
Illustration by Rita Liu
“This is where people often talk about discomfort,” says Omofoye. “The more compression we have, the better the image is. Compression helps to reduce the overlap of your normal breast tissue and spread it out really nicely so that hard masses or cancers stand out more. There used to be signs in our buildings that said ‘we compress because we care.’”
Illustration by Rita Liu
In total, the entire process takes about 20 minutes outside of your wait time.
After the mammogram
Once the technologist has taken images of both your breasts, you’re free to put your clothes on and at most practices you’re able to leave. While some facilities offer patients the option of same-day results, most of the time a radiologist will interpret your exam within 24 to 48 hours and then report the results to you or your doctor, which can take a few weeks.
The results may also be uploaded to your provider’s online portal before your doctor has a chance to call you and discuss. A full report of your results is shared within 30 days and will include a recommendation at the bottom for when to complete your next mammogram, or if additional screening is needed.
“A mammogram gives you additional information about yourself,” says Omofoye. “For example, your mammogram will always indicate what your breast density was.
Illustration by Rita Liu
If your mammogram is normal, you’ll continue to get mammograms at the recommended intervals for you. If it’s your first mammogram, this will serve as your baseline for future mammograms and radiologists will compare future ones to this one when looking for changes. If your mammogram is abnormal, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer, but you may need to come in for additional imaging.
“It’s important to set your reminder to schedule your next mammogram,” says Omofoye. “We’re busy professionals so it’s easy to forget, especially when we’re talking about women in their 30s and 40s. It’s a phase of life that has so many competing responsibilities, so it’s really easy to put your health on the back burner, but you shouldn’t. A mammogram may save your life.”
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