Mammogram - How Does a Mammogram Work?
A mammogram can help to detect breast cancer at the earliest stage and it's an important part of our fight against the breast cancer epidemic. Mammography has been available to women for decades now - and yet even in countries like the UK where these tests are available to all women for free, there is still not full participation by all women in the screening programs.
Some of these tests are performed when there is nothing at all to find on breast examination - no lumps and no suspicious problem areas. This is called a screening mammogram. In some countries these screening tests are offered on a mobile basis - with a large truck staffed by specialist nurses and doctors and with all the necessary gear turning up at a supermarket or at a factory and providing all that is needed for a drop in one stop shop approach.
The other kind of mammogram is called a diagnostic mammogram and this is done when a screening test shows a suspicious area or when the person is aware of a lump in the breast or of some other symptom that could relate to breast cancer. The actual technique of the test is pretty much identical - but extra views or more targetted views might be needed if the test is being done on someone who actually has a lump.
New digital techniques allow the images to be enhanced and make the screening and diagnostic tests easier for doctors to read. Digital mammography is probably more accurate at picking up problems in women under the age of fifty, or for those who have not yet had their menopause.
The latest versions of breast cancer guidelines say that if a woman over the age or thirty discovers a lump in the breast then both a diagnostic mammography test and an ultrasound scan of the breast should be performed. Ultrasound is a good test to show if a lump is solid or full of fluid - like a simple cyst might be for example. A lump with fluid in it looks dark or black on ultrasound - a solid area looks white because of the way that the sound waves from the ultrasound bounce off it.
When a breast mass is solid, its alignment and shape provide clues as to whether it is benign or cancerous. Usually a benign mass is horizontally aligned with smooth borders, while one that is malignant is vertically aligned with irregular borders. The nature of a solid mass can be clarified by performing an image-guided core-needle biopsy. During this procedure, ultrasound or mammography is used to help a radiologist extract a tissue sample from the mass with a needle. A pathologist evaluates the sample.
But ... for some women who have found a lump in the breast, both the mammogram and the ultrasound might be normal. This is obviously good news but if the lump persists then doctors advise having repeated checks - and in rare cases, if the lump is still present after a month or two - a minor operation to remove it or biopsy it should be performed.
Mammograms and breast ultrasound can save lives. So can self examination of the breasts. When did you last check yourself? Are you breast aware?
Showing posts with label Woman Issue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woman Issue. Show all posts
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment
Breast cancer is a kind of cancer which can occur in the breast cells of both men and women. It is the second most common form of cancer. It is also considered to be the fifth most common cause of cancer related deaths.
Breast cancer is a type of cancer which originates from the breast cells of men and women. In the world, this is the second most common form of cancer after lung cancer. It is also said to be the fifth most common cause of deaths related to cancer. The breasts of both men and women have identical tissues. Thus, this type of cancer can occur in both male and female. However, it is 100 times more common in men than in women.
Symptoms:
The initial subjective sign or symptom of breast cancer is usually a lump in the breast which is different from the surrounding tissues of the breast. According to surveys, over 80% of cases originate from a lump. Lumps found in armpits or collarbone may also indicate this disease.
Other indications include changes in the size or shape of breast, nipple inversion, skin dimpling or impulsive discharge from a single nipple. In breast cancer, you usually do not feel any pain in the initial stages. Symptoms of an inflammatory breast cancer may include pain, warmth, redness and swelling in the breast along with an orange texture of the skin. Unexplained loss of weight and chills and fevers can also be an indicative sign of breast cancer.
Prevention:
Breast feeding can prevent breast cancer to a great extent. Folic acid is said to counteract the risk of breast cancer. It has been found that women who consume 3-4 glasses of alcohol everyday have more prone to breast cancer.
However, if they consume sufficient amount of folic acid, then they have lower risks of the disease. Foods rich in folic acid include citrus juices and fruits, peas, dried beans and green leafy vegetables like spinach. In order to prevent breast cancer, avoid being a second hand smoker.
Getting your ovaries removes not only reduces the chances of breast cancer by at least 60% but it also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 96%.
Screening:
The common methods of breast cancer screening are clinical and self breast examinations, x-ray mammography, genetic testing and MRI. In the process of self-examination, you need to examine your own breasts in order to detect lumps in the breast tissues. Mammography examines the breast for any unusual lumps or masses.
Regular mammography is recommended for prevention of breast cancer, especially for high-risk individuals and older women. MRIs can also be used for spotting possible cancerous masses.
Treatment:
The main treatment procedure for breast cancer is surgery in which the tumor is localized. Other methods are aromatase inhibitor, tamxifen, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Depending on the age, size, metastasis and type of cancer of the patient, they are roughly categorized into low risk and high risk individuals and all of them have different treatment procedures. Other possibilities may include chemotherapy, immune therapy and hormone therapy.
ILT or Interstitial laser thermotherapy is an innovative way of treating this disease. Radiation treatment may also be used for destroying cancerous cells which may linger even after surgery.
Breast cancer is a type of cancer which originates from the breast cells of men and women. In the world, this is the second most common form of cancer after lung cancer. It is also said to be the fifth most common cause of deaths related to cancer. The breasts of both men and women have identical tissues. Thus, this type of cancer can occur in both male and female. However, it is 100 times more common in men than in women.
Symptoms:
The initial subjective sign or symptom of breast cancer is usually a lump in the breast which is different from the surrounding tissues of the breast. According to surveys, over 80% of cases originate from a lump. Lumps found in armpits or collarbone may also indicate this disease.
Other indications include changes in the size or shape of breast, nipple inversion, skin dimpling or impulsive discharge from a single nipple. In breast cancer, you usually do not feel any pain in the initial stages. Symptoms of an inflammatory breast cancer may include pain, warmth, redness and swelling in the breast along with an orange texture of the skin. Unexplained loss of weight and chills and fevers can also be an indicative sign of breast cancer.
Prevention:
Breast feeding can prevent breast cancer to a great extent. Folic acid is said to counteract the risk of breast cancer. It has been found that women who consume 3-4 glasses of alcohol everyday have more prone to breast cancer.
However, if they consume sufficient amount of folic acid, then they have lower risks of the disease. Foods rich in folic acid include citrus juices and fruits, peas, dried beans and green leafy vegetables like spinach. In order to prevent breast cancer, avoid being a second hand smoker.
Getting your ovaries removes not only reduces the chances of breast cancer by at least 60% but it also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 96%.
Screening:
The common methods of breast cancer screening are clinical and self breast examinations, x-ray mammography, genetic testing and MRI. In the process of self-examination, you need to examine your own breasts in order to detect lumps in the breast tissues. Mammography examines the breast for any unusual lumps or masses.
Regular mammography is recommended for prevention of breast cancer, especially for high-risk individuals and older women. MRIs can also be used for spotting possible cancerous masses.
Treatment:
The main treatment procedure for breast cancer is surgery in which the tumor is localized. Other methods are aromatase inhibitor, tamxifen, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Depending on the age, size, metastasis and type of cancer of the patient, they are roughly categorized into low risk and high risk individuals and all of them have different treatment procedures. Other possibilities may include chemotherapy, immune therapy and hormone therapy.
ILT or Interstitial laser thermotherapy is an innovative way of treating this disease. Radiation treatment may also be used for destroying cancerous cells which may linger even after surgery.
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