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Mammography - the advantages and disadvantages
Mammography - the advantages and disadvantages
Mammography is an x-ray method for the study. This research method has been used for over 30 years. Mammography - is perhaps the most important method of diagnosis of breast disease. It allows not only to determine whether changes in breast tissue, but also to estimate their size, nature and prevalence. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this method.
Specialists in mammalogy and oncologists recommend prophylactic conduct annual studies of mammography for all women over 40 years. The method of screening mammography is used as a screening method that is rapid surveys of large groups of patients. And it allows you to identify pathological changes in the early stages. For example, the use of mammography has reduced deaths from breast cancer by 35% in women older than 50 years.
Early detection of breast cancer with mammography also means that more women can be cured from the disease, while preserving the breast. It is possible, because if cancer is diagnosed at an early stage and has not had time to germinate in the surrounding tissue or metastasize to, it can be easily excised without resorting to removing the entire body - surgery mastectomy.
However, mammography - it's not an ideal method for diagnosis of breast diseases. Sometimes the tumor changes may not appear in the thickness of normal breast tissue. These findings mammogram are called "false negative". To overcome these effects, mammography combined with many other methods of cancer diagnosis. In addition, mammography does have its drawbacks, as this method is associated with X-ray irradiation, which is in itself, though not a particularly significant threat to the health of women, but it is not safe. In addition, in the process of breast mammography patients are usually strongly compressed. This is done to reduce the thickness of the tissues that absorb X-rays.
In connection with this was the actual search for other methods of screening diagnosis. At present, most attention is attracted by the possibility of using non-X-ray ultrasound (see section on ultrasound) and optical (laser) radiation. These methods also do not involve the need to compress the breast, that for many women is a rather unpleasant moments in the survey.
Optical Mammography
Among the devices for optical mammography can distinguish projection (showing the projection of all the tissues, just as is done in conventional mammography) and tomographic (as if you always get an image slice of breast tissue).
In addition, there is a method of optical mammography, mammography as a fluorescent, during which the tissues are introduced special substances - phosphors. This technique allows us to see their distribution in tissues of the breast that helps in the assessment of tumor invasion. Currently, devices for optical mammography are at the stage of clinical trials.
Mammography can save lives. This is true, because mammography can diagnose any changes in breast tissue in the early stages, while reducing the risk of death from cancer at 25 - 30% or more. Every woman after 40 years to pull this procedure each year, or at an earlier age, if it has a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Do not be afraid of mammography. This procedure is carried out fairly quickly, taking no more than 5 - 10 minutes, while being accompanied by a slight discomfort. Note that despite the fact that mammography - an x-ray is a diagnostic method, the radiation dose at the same time is quite low. If you have an increased density of the breast, or you are under 50 years are encouraged to digital mammography. If you have the results of last mammogram, take them with him to the doctor can compare and evaluate the changes.
Make sure that the doctor has sent you on a mammogram, have it detailed survey results to mammography, such as "palpable education in the upper outer quadrant."
Again, that mammography - is the most important and the first method, which is used for the diagnosis of breast diseases. However, all the same in 15 - 20% of cases, mammography can "miss" the tumor due to the fact that it simply is not visible in X-rays. In such instances, the other instrumental methods - such as ultrasound or MRI.
