Mammograms’ Role in Early Breast Cancer Detection
The WHO (World Health Organization) states that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. It is a condition where a malignant tumor is formed in the breast tissue. It can be treated quickly when detected early, and a mammogram is the best way to do it.
According to medical experts, getting a mammogram done can not only help in choosing the right treatment method but can also improve the survival rate of patients. Women above 35 or 40 should go for a mammography test in Bangalore or anywhere else, even if they don’t experience any common breast cancer symptoms like the formation of lumps in the breast, swelling or changes in appearance, redness or pain in the breast or nipple area, discharge from nipples, and more.
What is a mammogram?
A mammogram uses X-ray images and screens the breast for the presence of malignant tumors. In this process, your breast is placed between two plates to get clear images of the breast tissues. These images give a clear picture and help detect issues that cannot be understood only by a physical examination by the doctor.
Mammograms are quick, painless, and extremely helpful in detecting breast cancer at an early stage. Breast cancer is usually divided into four stages, starting from 0 to 4. Getting a mammogram will help you detect the cancer in stage 0 itself.
This is the stage when the cancerous cells (if detected) are present only in the ducts or the lobules in the breast. A mammography test in Bangalore will help you detect cancer at this stage when it has not spread to the nearby breast tissues. Thus, treatment and recovery are far quicker than they would have been if you had found out that you had breast cancer when the ailment was already in stage 3 or 4.
How do mammograms help in detecting breast cancer early?
Using low-dose X-rays, mammograms can help detect the cancerous cells in your breast even before you actually feel the symptoms. So, if you have a family history of breast cancer, your doctor would recommend you opt for a mammogram once you turn 40, so that you can spot the issue even before you begin to feel the discomfort. This way, your chances of recovery and survival are definitely quite promising.
Sometimes, mammograms need to be accompanied by a few screening tests, ultrasounds, and other procedures to get an absolutely clear image of the breast tissue and detect the cancer. However, it cannot be denied that a mammogram is the basic test that doctors rely upon to study and treat breast cancer in women of all ages.
Opting for modern mammography
When you want to undergo a mammography test in Bangalore or any location of your choice, it is a good idea to choose a diagnostic center in Bangalore that offers 3D mammography services. With a 3D mammography test, you can be sure of getting 100% accurate and error-free images, thereby helping the doctor to understand the issue correctly and start treatment accordingly.
Though 3D mammograms are more expensive than their traditional 2D counterparts, they are very popular. This is because 3D mammograms eliminate the need for follow-up imaging, as the reports come right the first time, every time. Also, these modern 3D mammograms can help detect the presence of cancerous cells even in dense breast tissues, something that 2D mammograms can miss.
Bottom Line
Breast cancer, if not detected in its early stages, can become quite complicated with the cancerous cells spreading to the lymph, tissues, and other areas around the breast. Treatment of breast cancer at this stage can be quite painful and expensive for the patients. The downside is that the chances of recovery keep getting slimmer with the spread of these cancerous cells.
Hence, it is a prudent idea for women over 40 to opt for regular mammograms and detect cancerous cells (if any) at the early stages, where recovery and treatment are quite simple.