
Mammography
Along with mammography, ultrasound is the most commonly used method in the diagnosis of breast diseases. Investigations such as magnetic resonance imaging (MR) and scintigraphy can be applied in the second stages, when necessary. Mammography is still the gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis.
1. Why should I have a mammogram?
Breast cancer is so frequent that about one in ten women will encounter it at any stage in their lifetime. Mammography can show some early signs of cancer, even in the early period when the patient or the doctor who examined it has not yet received a mass-swelling. In some developed Northern European countries, the USA and Canada, studies that have been carried out since the 1960s have reduced the mortality rates from breast cancer by approximately 30% with mammography scans.
2. When and how often should I have a mammogram?
The probability of breast cancer increases, especially after age 40. For this reason, mammograms for control-screening are ideally taken every year, starting at the age of 40.
3. If I notice a swelling-mass in the breast before the age of 40, or if my doctor who examines it suspects a mass, what to do?
In this case, imaging is done primarily by ultrasound. Mammography can also be taken if necessary. In such a patient over the age of 40, both mammography and ultrasound are ideally applied.
4. How is breast cancer diagnosed with mammography and ultrasound? What to do if there is a suspicion of cancer?
Mammography and breast ultrasound are the basic devices used for imaging the breast. Radiologists who use advanced devices benefited from digital technology in recent years and experienced in this field can distinguish between benign and malignant in the majority of the changes or masses they see in the breast. The majority of the swelling that comes to the patient or the examining doctor are benign tumors or cysts. These harmless masses (fibroadenoma and the like) and cysts occur quite frequently, especially in the 30-50 age group. Most of them can be distinguished from cancer by ultrasound and mammography. When cancer is suspected, the radiologist explains to the patient that a biopsy is required, and by contacting the doctor who sent the patient, he decides how to perform the biopsy. Some masses with a very low probability of cancer are monitored every few months with ultrasound and / or mammography to ensure that they do not grow and change, thus eliminating the possibility of cancer.