Breast cancer screenings are imaging tests that examine your breast tissue to check for cancer. They can detect breast cancer early, before it causes symptoms. General guidelines recommend most women should have a mammogram every one to two years, starting at age 40. If you’re at high risk of breast cancer, your provider might recommend more screenings.
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Breast cancer screenings are medical tests that help detect breast cancer, often before you have any signs or symptoms of the disease. They’re very important to your health because they can help find cancer early, when it’s the easiest to treat.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Studies consistently show that breast cancer screenings save lives. Talk to your healthcare provider about when you should begin getting breast cancer screenings and how often you should get them. They can also tell you what type of screening is best for you.
Screenings alone don’t diagnose breast cancer. It takes a combination of tests and procedures to make a breast cancer diagnosis. But breast cancer screenings tell your provider when they need to look closer for possible cancer.
Healthcare providers use several types of imaging tests to examine your breast tissue and check for signs of breast cancer. Providers may use two or three tests to help lead them to a breast cancer diagnosis. A radiologist analyzes the images that breast cancer screenings produce.
Mammograms (or mammography) 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.
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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 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.
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.
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:
It’s worth noting that while these breast exams are harmless, they haven’t been found to be extremely beneficial in preventing breast cancer. They should never replace a mammogram.
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:
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:
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Your healthcare provider is the best person to talk to about screenings and when you should have them.
The benefit of screening for breast cancer is that it allows healthcare providers to catch cancer in the earliest stages, when it’s easiest to treat. This saves many lives.
The risks of these screenings are small when compared with the risks of allowing breast cancer to go undetected. Some tests expose you to low levels of radiation. It’s also possible to get a misleading result from a test. This is why providers often recommend more than one.
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 them.
Most screening results are available within a few business days. This depends on several factors, though. Your healthcare provider can tell you more about when to expect your results.
Having an abnormal result on one screening test doesn’t mean you have breast cancer. It means more tests are necessary. A breast biopsy is the only test that can diagnose breast cancer definitively.
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Contact your healthcare provider if you:
While it can be easy to see them as an inconvenience, breast cancer screenings save lives. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to forget about your health. But screenings can catch potential issues early on, when they’re easier to treat.
When and how often you need a breast cancer screening depends on your age, family history and if you have a genetic risk for breast cancer. If you’re unsure when you should get one, talk to your healthcare provider. Remember, detecting changes to your breasts early is key. Don’t hesitate to ask about when to schedule a breast cancer screening.
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Last reviewed on 06/27/2025.
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