Mammography

Excerpt

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, after skin cancer, and represents 14% of all new cancers in the United States. Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women aged 55 to 64 years, and the risk increases with age. Early diagnosis increases the chances that a patient may achieve a cure and also reduces the morbidity of the treatments. Breast cancer therapies continue to improve and have contributed to mortality reduction, but early diagnosis through mammographic screening has had a greater overall impact on mortality reductions. The American College of Radiology recommends breast cancer screening for all average-risk women starting at the age of 40. The diagnosis of breast cancer can be suggested by many different modalities, most commonly mammography, breast ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

However, tissue sampling is required for a definitive diagnosis. Breast cancer screening is performed with mammography, and patients with equivocal or suggestive mammographic screening results require further imaging with a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, breast MRI, biopsy, or combination thereof. This article will discuss the techniques and considerations when performing screening breast mammography.