Breast Cancer Screenings

What are breast cancer screenings?

Breast cancer screenings help detect breast cancer, often before you have any signs or symptoms of the disease. They’re very important to your health because they help find cancer early, when it’s the easiest to treat.

Studies consistently show that breast cancer screenings save lives. Talk to your healthcare provider about when you should begin getting breast cancer screenings. They can also tell you what type of screening is best for you.

Screenings alone don’t diagnose breast cancer. Healthcare providers often use a combination of screenings, tests and procedures to make a breast cancer diagnosis.

What are the types of breast cancer screenings?

There are several types of tests that healthcare providers use to detect breast cancer, and each works a little differently. Providers often use two or three to help lead them to a breast cancer diagnosis. A radiologist analyzes the images that breast cancer screenings produce.

Mammogram

Mammograms are the gold standard for detecting breast cancer. It’s the most common screening. It uses a special X-ray machine to produce a picture of the tissue inside your breast. It involves placing your breasts inside a flat plate or paddle. The plates then compress your breast so it’s flat.

Mammograms are typically either 2D or 3D (breast tomosynthesis). 3D mammograms tend to create clearer, more detailed images. But not every facility has this technology.

Breast ultrasound

Ultrasound is another tool providers use to see the inside of your breast. Your provider may suggest getting one if they see something irregular on a mammogram or breast exam. Your provider either moves a small, handheld device around your breast or uses a larger ultrasound device to scan your entire breast. This device releases sound waves through your breast tissue and converts the sound waves to images your provider can see on a screen.

Breast MRI

Breast MRI is another test that creates clear pictures of the inside of your breasts using a magnet and radio waves. Your provider uses it along with other screening tools to detect cancer, especially if you’re at a higher risk or if you’ve had an abnormal mammogram result.

Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI)

MBI is a test that uses radioactive tracer and a special gamma camera to highlight cancerous cells in your breast tissue. It works by “lighting up” areas where cells appear irregular or out of control. It’s especially helpful if you have dense breasts.

Thermography

This is a type of imaging test that uses an infrared camera to detect areas of warmth on your skin. Areas of warmth show up as red or orange on your test results.

Other breast exams

Being aware of how your breasts look and feel is another good way to detect changes in your breast health. This is sometimes called breast self-awareness. You should report changes to your provider right away.

There are two additional types of breast exams that don’t involve special equipment:

• Clinical breast exam. This is when your provider feels around your breast for lumps or changes with their fingers.
• Breast self-exam. This is when you feel your own breasts for lumps or changes with your fingers.

It’s worth noting that while breast exams are harmless, they haven’t been found to be extremely beneficial in helping to prevent breast cancer. They should also never replace a mammogram.

What are the recommendations for breast cancer screening?

Your healthcare provider will determine when and how often you should get a screening based on a breast cancer risk assessment. This tool predicts your chances of getting breast cancer based on factors like:

• Having the BRCA gene mutation
• Having a family history of breast cancer
• Age
• Breast density

Once your provider determines your overall risk, they’ll recommend when and how often you should have a breast cancer screening. This involves getting a mammogram.

General guidelines are if you:

• Are between the ages of 40 and 74 with an average risk for breast cancer, you should have a mammogram every one to two years
• Have a higher risk for breast cancer, you may need to get mammograms every year until age 74, and you may also need your first mammogram before age 40
• Have an average risk for breast cancer, you should have your first mammogram by age 40

Your healthcare provider is the best person to talk to about screenings and when you should have them.

What are the risks of breast cancer screenings?

The benefit of detecting cancer early (when it’s easier to treat) usually outweighs any risk of the screening. While each screening has its own pros and cons, some of the risks you should consider are:

• False positives. This is when the screening shows you may have cancer, but you don’t. It can lead to additional testing, which can be upsetting.
• False negatives. A false negative is when a breast cancer screening misses or doesn’t detect cancer. This can lead to a delay in getting a diagnosis and starting treatment.
• Pain or discomfort. It’s normal to feel a little uncomfortable during a breast cancer screening, especially with a mammogram.
• Radiation exposure. Some screenings expose you to a low dose of radiation. These levels are safe.
• Overdiagnosis. This is when your provider treats cancer with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery when it may have never caused problems.
• Errors with breast exams. Research doesn’t show a clear benefit to breast self-exams or clinical breast exams as a “screening technique.” While it doesn’t hurt, some people may rely on breast exams too heavily and skip screenings like mammograms.
• Allergic reaction. Some people have an allergy to the tracer material in MBI and MRI.

Your healthcare provider can discuss the risks and benefits of each screening with you. They’ll also recommend which screening is best for you based on your health history, age and other factors.

What type of results do you get during a breast cancer screening?

Healthcare providers use a tool called BI-RADS to report most breast cancer screening results. It’s a standardized way to describe the results of breast imaging in a way you can understand. There are six categories, and each category has a definition. If your results don’t make sense to you, please reach out to your healthcare provider so they can explain your results to you.

When should I know the results of a breast cancer screening?

It depends on the type of screening. Most screening results are available within a few business days. This depends on several factors, though. It’s best to talk to your healthcare provider before the test to see when you can expect your results.

If the results are abnormal what are the next steps?

Healthcare providers use several different types of tests to diagnose breast cancer. Having an abnormal result on a screening doesn’t mean you have breast cancer. It means more tests, like a breast ultrasound, are necessary. A breast biopsy is the only procedure that can diagnose breast cancer.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Contact your healthcare provider if you:

• Have questions about when you should get your first or next mammogram, and be sure to keep these screening appointments
• Notice any new and unusual symptoms like nipple discharge, inverted nipple, breast skin changes or breast lumps
• Have questions about your screening results
• Want more information on the types of breast cancer screenings available to you