Breast cancer detected via mammography has better outcome
Breast cancer detected via mammography has better outcome
By: Susan Aldridge, medical journalist, PhD
Breast cancer detected via mammography has better outcome
Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist
Women whose breast cancer is detected through mammography have a significantly better prognosis than those whose cancer is detected in another way.
Screening by mammography may pick up tumors long before they can be detected in any other way. So you might expect these cancers to have a better outlook because they allow for earlier treatment. To find out, a team at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center looked at data from three large breast cancer screening trials. They found that the method of detection was, itself, a factor in breast cancer survival.
Those whose tumors were discovered after a previously negative screen had a 53 per cent greater risk of death from the cancer compared to these with screen-detected cancer - all other things being equal. The researchers say this is not only due to the cancer being found earlier - their study allows for this. They think that, perhaps, screening detects more of the slower growing tumors which tend, naturally, to have a better prognosis. What is more, the method of detection should be considered when treatment is being planned - it may turn out to be very significant.
Source
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 17th August 2005
Reviewed on: 08/22/2005
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Hi I wanted to seek your advice, a month ago I found a lump in my breast, I was doing an self exam when I saw that my breast had changed in size and also there was a dimple wich wasn't there before so I felt it and found this lump wich is pretty big in my opinion and it has irregular shape more like a finger rather then a pea and I went to my doctor who also found it and he sent me to have a mammography to another doctor and he saw nothing also he did ultrasound and told me that everything looked normal? When I asked what the lump was he couldn't answear me and just told me it was not cancer? I wanted to ask you should I ask for more testing to be done because of the lump or should I just wait? I am a little bit affraid I might admit.
Mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses low-dose x-rays to examine breast tissue and aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Five to fifteen percent of screening mammograms require additional testing, such as additional mammograms or ultrasound. Sometimes, interpretations of mammograms can be difficult because normal breast tissue can appear differently for each woman. It is not clear why your doctor was not able to explain to you what the lump was. Perhaps you could request a copy of your mammogram and/or ultrasound report and seek a second opinion. There are benign, or non-cancerous, conditions that can cause lumps in the breast. However, only a doctor who can examine you and knows your medical history and the results of your imaging studies can give you appropriate advice on next steps.
Unlike mastectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the breast) and chemotherapy, which are both potential treatments for breast cancer, mammography is a method of screening for breast cancer. Mammography uses low-dose x-rays to examine the breast for masses or areas of calcification that might be suspicious for cancer. It is the only imaging technique that has been shown, at least in some studies, to reduce the risk of breast cancer death. While mammography is useful for detecting possible cancers at an early stage, 10-30% of cancers are missed by mammography, in part due to observer error, but more often because the density of the breast obscures the tumor.
Hi, I was just curious to know more about mammography. Is it really a better option than mastectomy or chemotherapy??
Breast cancer is very difficult to identify in the early stages. Does mammography really identify the cancer at an early stage?
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