Mammogram - Mayo Clinic

A mammogram is an X-ray image of your breasts. It can be used either for breast cancer screening or for diagnostic purposes, such as to ... COVID-19:Advice,updatesandvaccineoptions Weareopenforsafein-personcare. Learnmore: MayoClinicfactsaboutcoronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19) OurCOVID-19patientandvisitorguidelines,plustrustedhealthinformation Lateston COVID-19vaccination bysite: Arizonapatientvaccinationupdates Arizona, Floridapatientvaccinationupdates Florida, Rochesterpatientvaccinationupdates Rochesterand MayoClinicHealthSystempatientvaccinationupdates MCHS Skiptositenavigation SkiptoContent ThiscontentdoesnothaveanEnglishversion.ThiscontentdoesnothaveanArabicversion. SectionsforMammogramAboutDoctors&DepartmentsRequestanappointment Print Overview Relatedinformation 3Dmammogram Receivingamammogram Openpop-updialogbox Close Receivingamammogram Receivingamammogram Duringamammogram,youstandinfrontofanX-raymachinedesignedformammography.Atechnicianplacesyourbreastonaplatformandpositionstheplatformtomatchyourheight.Thetechnicianhelpsyoupositionyourhead,armsandtorsotoallowanunobstructedviewofyourbreast. AmammogramisanX-rayimageofyourbreasts.Itcanbeusedeitherforbreastcancerscreeningorfordiagnosticpurposes,suchastoinvestigatesymptomsorunusualfindingsonanotherimagingtest. Duringamammogram,yourbreastsarecompressedbetweentwofirmsurfacestospreadoutthebreasttissue.ThenanX-raycapturesblack-and-whiteimagesthataredisplayedonacomputerscreenandexaminedforsignsofcancer. Mammogramsplayakeyroleinbreastcancerscreening.Theycandetectbreastcancerbeforeitcausessignsandsymptoms.Mammogramshavebeenshowntoreducetheriskofdyingofbreastcancer. Atraditionalmammogramcreatestwo-dimensionalimagesofthebreast.Anewertypeofmammogramcalleda3Dmammogram(breasttomosynthesis)createsthree-dimensionalimagesofthebreast.Manymedicalfacilitiesofferthe3Dmammograminadditiontothetraditional2Dmammogramforbreastcancerscreening. Ourcaringteamsofprofessionalsofferexpertcare.ScheduleascreeningmammogramappointmentatMayoClinic. Gettheprocessstarted Products&ServicesBook:MayoClinicTheMenopauseSolutionMayoClinicCancerCenterSignupforEmail:GetYourFreeResource–CopingwithCancerShowmoreproductsfromMayoClinic Whyit'sdone Relatedinformation Mammogramguidelines:Whatarethey? MammogramsareX-rayimagesofyourbreastsdesignedtodetectcancersandotherchangesinbreasttissue.Amammogramcanbeusedeitherforscreeningorfordiagnosticpurposes: Screeningmammogram.Ascreeningmammogramisusedtodetectbreastchangesthatcouldbecancerousinpeoplewhohavenosignsorsymptoms.Thegoalistodetectcancerwhenit'ssmallandtreatmentmaybelessinvasive. Expertsandmedicalorganizationsdon'tagreeonwhentobeginregularmammogramsorhowoftenthetestsshouldberepeated.Talkwithyourhealthcareprovideraboutyourriskfactors,yourpreferences,andthebenefitsandrisksofscreening.Together,youcandecidewhatscreeningmammographyscheduleisbestforyou. Diagnosticmammogram.Adiagnosticmammogramisusedtoinvestigatesuspiciousbreastchanges,suchasanewbreastlump,breastpain,anunusualskinappearance,nipplethickeningornippledischarge.It'salsousedtoevaluateunexpectedfindingsonascreeningmammogram.Adiagnosticmammogramincludesadditionalmammogramimages. MoreInformationDensebreasttissueBreastimplants:Dotheyinterferewithmammograms?Conflictingmammogramresults:WhatcanIdo?Mammogram:Canitfindcancerindensebreasts?BreastcancerBreastcystsBreastpainEnlargedbreastsinmen(gynecomastia)FibroadenomaFibrocysticbreastsGalactorrheaHypercalcemiaInflammatorybreastcancerInvasivelobularcarcinomaMalebreastcancerMammaryductectasiaMastitisPaget'sdiseaseofthebreastRecurrentbreastcancerMammogramforbreastcancer—WhattoexpectShowmorerelatedinformation RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic RisksRisksandlimitationsofmammogramsinclude: Mammogramsexposeyoutolow-doseradiation.Thedoseisverylow,though,andformostpeoplethebenefitsofregularmammogramsoutweightherisksposedbythisamountofradiation. Havingamammogrammayleadtoadditionaltesting.Ifsomethingunexpectedisdetectedonyourmammogram,youmayneedothertests.Thesemightincludeadditionalimagingtestssuchasultrasound,andaprocedure(biopsy)toremoveasampleofbreasttissueforlaboratorytesting.However,mostfindingsdetectedonmammogramsaren'tcancer. Ifyourmammogramdetectssomethingunusual,thedoctorwhointerpretstheimages(radiologist)willwanttocompareitwithpreviousmammograms.Ifyouhavehadmammogramsperformedelsewhere,yourradiologistwillaskforyourpermissiontorequestthemfromyourprevioushealthcareproviders. Screeningmammographycan'tdetectallcancers.Somecancersdetectedbyphysicalexaminationmaynotbeseenonthemammogram.Acancermaybemissedifit'stoosmallorislocatedinanareathatisdifficulttoviewbymammography,suchasyourarmpit. Notallofthecancersfoundbymammographycanbecured.Somebreastcancersareaggressive,growrapidlyandquicklyspreadtootherpartsofthebody. HowyouprepareToprepareforyourmammogram: Schedulethetestforatimewhenyourbreastsareleastlikelytobetender.Ifyoumenstruate,that'susuallyduringtheweekafteryourmenstrualperiod. Bringyourpriormammogramimages.Ifyou'regoingtoanewfacilityforyourmammogram,requesttohaveanypriormammogramsplacedonaCD.BringtheCDwithyoutoyourappointmentsothattheradiologistcancomparepastmammogramswithyournewimages. Don'tusedeodorantbeforeyourmammogram.Avoidusingdeodorants,antiperspirants,powders,lotions,creamsorperfumesunderyourarmsoronyourbreasts.Metallicparticlesinpowdersanddeodorantscouldbevisibleonyourmammogramandcauseconfusion. Whatyoucanexpect Relatedinformation Video:Mammogramforbreastcancer—Whattoexpect DuringthetestAtthetestingfacility,you'regivenagownandaskedtoremoveneckjewelryandclothingfromthewaistup. Fortheprocedureitself,youstandinfrontofanX-raymachinespeciallydesignedformammography.Amemberofyourhealthcareteamplacesoneofyourbreastsonaplatformandraisesorlowerstheplatformtomatchyourheight.Yourhead,armsandtorsoarepositionedinordertoallowanunobstructedviewofyourbreast. Yourbreastisgraduallypressedagainsttheplatformbyaclearplasticplate.Pressureisappliedforafewsecondstospreadoutthebreasttissue.Thepressureisn'tharmful,butitcancausesomediscomfort.Tellyourhealthcareteamifthediscomfortbecomestoomuch. YourbreastmustbecompressedtoevenoutitsthicknessandpermittheX-raystopenetratethebreasttissue.Thepressurealsoholdsyourbreaststilltodecreaseblurringfrommovementandminimizesthedoseofradiationneeded.DuringthebriefX-rayexposure,you'llbeaskedtostandstillandholdyourbreath. AfterthetestAfterimagesaremadeofbothyourbreasts,youmaybeaskedtowaitwhileyourcareteamchecksthequalityoftheimages.Iftheviewsareinadequatefortechnicalreasons,youmayhavetorepeatpartofthetest.Theentireprocedureusuallytakeslessthan30minutes.Afterward,youmaydressandresumeyourusualactivities. ResultsMammographyproducesmammograms—black-and-whiteimagesofyourbreasttissue.Mammogramsaredigitalimagesthatappearonacomputerscreen.Adoctorwhospecializesininterpretingimagingtests(radiologist)examinestheimages. Theradiologistlooksforevidenceofcancerandotherconditionsthatmayrequirefurthertesting,follow-uportreatment.Theresultsarecompiledinareportandprovidedtoyourhealthcareprovider.Askyourproviderwhenandhowtheresultswillbesharedwithyou. Clinicaltrials ExploreMayoClinicstudiesoftestsandprocedurestohelpprevent,detect,treatormanageconditions. TheMayoClinicexperienceandpatientstories Ourpatientstellusthatthequalityoftheirinteractions,ourattentiontodetailandtheefficiencyoftheirvisitsmeanhealthcarelikethey'veneverexperienced.SeethestoriesofsatisfiedMayoClinicpatients. PreventivescreeningduringCOVID-19pandemicleadstoearlydiagnosisoftreatablebreastcancerThroughouttheCOVID-19pandemic,healthcareprovidershavebeenconcernedaboutagrowingnumberofpatientsdelayingorskippingpreventivescreeningsbecausetheyhavebeenhesitanttoseetheirhealthcareprovider.Expertshavestressedthatit'snotonlysafetocomeinforpreventivescreenings,butalsoit'simportanttoavoidfuturehealthproblemsorcatchthemearlywhentheyareeasiertotreat.That'sparticularlytruewhenitcomestocancer.Noone… ByMayoClinicStaff RequestanAppointmentatMayoClinic Doctors&Departments Oct.02,2021 Print Shareon:FacebookTwitter Showreferences AskMayoExpert.Breastcancerscreeningandoptionsforsupplementalscreeninginthedensebreast(adult).MayoClinic;2020. Breastcancerscreening(PDQ)—patientversion.NationalCancerInstitute.https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/patient/breast-screening-pdq.AccessedJuly7,2021. Mammography.RadiologyInfo.org.https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info/mammo.AccessedJuly7,2021. AndreasA,etal.,eds.Thebreast.In:Grainger&Allison'sDiagnosticRadiology:ATextbookofMedicalImaging.7thed.Elsevier;2021.https://www.clinicalkey.com.AccessedJuly6,2021. Related Atypicalhyperplasiaofthebreast Breastcancer Breastcysts Breastimplants:Dotheyinterferewithmammograms? Breastpain Conflictingmammogramresults:WhatcanIdo? COVID-19vaccine:ShouldIreschedulemymammogram? Densebreasttissue Enlargedbreastsinmen(gynecomastia) Fibroadenoma Fibrocysticbreasts Galactorrhea Hypercalcemia Inflammatorybreastcancer Invasivelobularcarcinoma Lobularcarcinomainsitu(LCIS) Malebreastcancer Mammaryductectasia Mammogramforbreastcancer—Whattoexpect Mammogramguidelines:Whatarethey? Mammogram:Canitfindcancerindensebreasts? Mastitis Paget'sdiseaseofthebreast Receivingamammogram Recurrentbreastcancer Thyroidguard:DoIneedoneduringamammogram? Whatisbreastcancer?Anexpertexplains Showmorerelatedcontent NewsfromMayoClinic SharingMayoClinic:Integrativehealthpavesroadtorecoveryforyoungbreastcancerpatient Oct.31,2021,07:00p.m.CDT SharingMayoClinic:'Sneaky'cancerspursmomanddaughtertoaction Oct.30,2021,07:52p.m.CDT MayoClinicMinute:Determiningifyouhavedensebreasts Oct.19,2021,05:13p.m.CDT MayoClinicexpertoffersguidanceonsupplementalscreeningforwomenwithdensebreasttissue Oct.19,2021,04:31p.m.CDT KlobucharemphasizesimportanceofbreastcancerscreeningatMayoClinic Oct.14,2021,10:34p.m.CDT MayoClinicMinute:Whybreastcancerscreeningisimportant Oct.05,2021,03:00p.m.CDT MayoClinicresearchersadvocatenewapproachtobreastcancerprevention Sept.27,2021,04:07p.m.CDT PreventivescreeningduringCOVID-19pandemicleadstoearlydiagnosisoftreatablebreastcancer May07,2021,04:00p.m.CDT MayoClinicQandA:MammogramsandCOVID-19vaccine May06,2021,03:15p.m.CDT COVID-19vaccine:WonderingifIshouldreschedulemyMammogram? March18,2021,09:18p.m.CDT ScreeningmammogramsandCOVID-19vaccine Feb.19,2021,06:10p.m.CDT Breastcancernotone-size-fits-all:MayoClinicRadioHealthMinute Dec.11,2020,09:52p.m.CDT MayoClinicexpertanswersquestionsaboutbreastcancerscreening,levelsofriskandlatestinimaging Oct.27,2020,05:18p.m.CDT MayoClinicQandA:Densebreasttissueandmolecularbreastimaging Oct.26,2020,06:00p.m.CDT MayoClinicMinute:Don'tdelaymammograms,otherbreastcancerscreening Oct.16,2020,07:00p.m.CDT Clearingupconfusionoverbreastcancerscreeningrecommendations Oct.09,2020,01:40p.m.CDT MayoClinicMinute:Whatdoesitmeanifyouhavedensebreasts? Oct.06,2020,06:03p.m.CDT MayoClinicQ&Apodcast:Differentoptionsforbreastcancerscreening Oct.01,2020,01:47p.m.CDT MayoClinicQ&Apodcast:Don'tdelaycancerscreenings Sept.09,2020,02:12p.m.CDT MayoClinicMinute:Whatismolecularbreastimagingandwhoneedsit? Oct.14,2019,07:00a.m.CDT ShowmorenewsfromMayoClinic Products&Services Book:MayoClinicTheMenopauseSolution MayoClinicCancerCenter SignupforEmail:GetYourFreeResource–CopingwithCancer ShowmoreproductsandservicesfromMayoClinic MammogramAboutDoctors&DepartmentsRequestanappointment Advertisement MayoClinicdoesnotendorsecompaniesorproducts.Advertisingrevenuesupportsournot-for-profitmission. Advertising&Sponsorship Policy Opportunities AdChoices MayoClinicPress Checkoutthesebest-sellersandspecialoffersonbooksandnewslettersfromMayoClinicPress. NEW–CookWell,EatLessFREEMayoClinicDietAssessmentMayoClinicHealthLetter-FREEbookLiveYoungerLongerBackandNeckHealth PRC-20198295 PatientCare&HealthInformation Tests&Procedures Mammogram