One of the best methods to detect breast cancer for women over 50 years is through mammography screening. According to a report by world health organization, 1 in 8 women usually develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and this risk increases with age. Regular check-ups and routine mammograms are important. But why do you need a mammogram? A mammogram screening is an x-ray of breasts carried out on women who have not noticed any changes or seen any symptoms in their breasts.
Before you and your doctor can feel any
changes on your breasts, the x-ray pictures can show cancers as small as a
grain of rice. When cancer is found early, most women will be treated without
any complications. This is because cancer treatment works best when cancer has
not spread to other parts of the body.
Detecting breast cancer early also means that most women receiving treatment are able to keep their breasts. When found early localized cancer can be treated without resorting to mastectomy. A mammography screening can also be done for diagnostic purposes. Diagnostic mammography can be used to investigate changes such as new breast lump, unusual skin appearance, breast pain, nipple discharge among others.
Important things that you need to know about mammography screening
• It can help save your life- Detecting
breast cancer will reduce your risk of dying by up to 30% or more. As a matter
of fact, women should begin mammograms at the age of 40 years or earlier.
• It is a fast procedure- Since it is a
fast procedure that takes approximately 20 minutes, there is minimal discomfort
among women. More so it’s safe since there is a small amount of radiation
exposure.
• If you are under 50 years or have dense breasts, you need to get a digital mammogram where doctors can enlarge certain parts so as to analyze them closely.
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