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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffMammography isn't foolproof. It does have some limitations and potential risks:
- Mammography exposes you to low-dose radiation. The dose is very low, though, and for most women the benefits of regular mammography outweigh the risks posed by this amount of radiation.
- Mammograms aren't always accurate. The accuracy of the procedure depends in part on the quality of the film, the technique used, and the experience and skill of the radiologist. Other factors — such as your age and breast density — may result in false-negative or false-positive mammograms. Always tell your doctor if you've noticed a change in one of your breasts, especially if your mammogram is interpreted as normal.
- Mammograms in younger women can be difficult to interpret. The breasts of younger women contain more glands and ligaments than do those of older women, resulting in dense breast tissue that can obscure signs of cancer. With age, breast tissue becomes fattier and has fewer glands, making it easier to detect changes on mammograms.
- Having a mammogram may lead to additional testing. Among women of all ages, about 10 percent of mammograms require additional testing. However, most abnormal findings aren't cancer. If you're told that your mammogram is abnormal, make sure that the radiologist has compared your current mammogram with any previous mammograms.
- Screening mammography can't detect all cancers. Some cancers detected by physical examination may not be seen on the mammogram. A cancer may be too small or may be in an area that is difficult to view by mammography, such as your armpit. Mammograms can miss 1 in 5 cancers in women.
- Not all of the tumors found by mammography can be cured. Certain types of cancers are aggressive, grow rapidly and spread early to other parts of your body.
If your mammogram shows areas of concern that may be cancer, the radiologist may recommend additional mammograms or an ultrasound. A breast biopsy may be recommended if the area continues to appear suspicious. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a piece of tissue or a sample of cells from your body so that it can be analyzed by a pathologist — a doctor who specializes in examining body tissues. If your mammogram or biopsy shows that you have breast cancer, you and your doctor can discuss the best course of treatment.
If the breast biopsy results are normal or reveal a benign breast condition, talk with your doctor to be sure that the radiologist and the pathologist drew the same conclusions from your mammogram and your biopsy. If they have interpreted your test results differently, you may need further testing.
- Mammograms and other breast imaging procedures. American Cancer Society. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- Screening mammograms: Questions and answers. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/screening-mammograms. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- Tice JA, et al. Screening and prevention of breast cancer in primary care. Journal of Primary Care. 2009;36:533.
- Venkataraman S. Breast imaging: Mammography and ultrasonography. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- Fletcher SW. Screening for breast cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- Esserman LJ, et al. Diagnostic evaluation of women with suspected breast cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer. American Cancer Society. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for breast cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2009;151:716.
