Breast Cancer and Mammograms

Many women fail to get recommended annual mammograms to detect breast cancer. A busy life or procrastination may be to blame. For other women, misconceptions about mammograms may be holding them back.

The June 2005 issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource covers some common myths and facts about mammograms.

Myth: Mammograms do more harm than good.

Fact: Mammograms, along with a breast exam by your health care provider, are the best way to detect breast cancer at an early stage. Mammograms often find cancer before a lump can be felt. But they do have limitations. Mammograms miss 10 to 15 percent of breast cancers. Another limitation: Mammograms can result in false-positives; the test shows an abnormality that's mistaken for cancer.

Myth: Mammograms are useless if you have dense breast tissue.

Fact: Spotting breast cancer can be more difficult when breasts contain a lot of glandular tissues, (dense tissue). A mammogram, however, is not useless. If something looks suspicious, but is hard to see with standard mammography, other imaging tests can help determine if cancer is present.

Myth: Radiation from a mammogram can give you cancer.

Fact: Radiation exposure from mammography is small. You receive about the same amount of radiation during a jet trip from New York to California.

Myth: If you don't have a family history of breast cancer, you don't need to have a mammogram.

Fact: The majority of breast cancers occur in women who have no known risk factors for the disease.

Myth: Mammograms are too expensive.

Fact: Mammograms generally cost between $100 and $150. Most insurance pays all or part of the cost. If you don't have insurance, some state or local programs provide mammograms free or at a low cost. For more information, call Cancer Information Service, 1-800-422-6237.

By: Mayo Clinic