Mammogram Screenings

Mammogram Screening   

Millions of women are surviving breast cancer today, thanks to early detection and improvements in testing and treatment.

Mammogram screenings are the most effective method for the early detection of breast cancer.

It is important to get the recommended screening tests before any symptoms develop.  When cancer is found in the early stages, it is easier to treat.  Caught early enough, breast cancer often can be cured.

Early Detection

Early detection of breast cancer with a screening mammogram means that treatment can be started earlier in the course of the disease, possibly before it has spread.

Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year as a regular part of her health care.

Women who are at higher than average risk of breast cancer should talk with their physician about whether to have mammograms before age 40 and how often to have them.

Factors that increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer

  • Age: The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman gets older.
  • Personal history
  • Family history
  • Genetics: BRCA1, BRCA2, and other gene mutations.
  • Breast density
  • Early menstruation (before age 12)
  • Late menopause (after age 55)
  • Hormone therapy after menopause
  • Pregnancy: Women who have had their first full-term pregnancy after age 30 or who have never had a full-term pregnancy.
  • Alcohol intake
  • Being overweight or obese

You also may need a mammogram if you have any of these signs:

  • Lump or thickening in the breast
  • Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt)
  • Skin irritation, dimples, redness, or other changes in the skin of the breast
  • Nipple discharge or bleeding
  • Nipple retraction (turning inward)
  • Breast or nipple pain

If you should experience any of these signs, talk to your doctor about having a physical exam and mammogram.

What is a Screening Mammogram?

Mammogram is an x-ray image of the breast. The x-ray images make it possible to detect abnormalities that cannot be felt during a physical breast exam or breast self-exam.

Screening mammograms

  • Can help identify cysts, calcifications, and tumors within the breast before they are large enough to be felt.
  • Are used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease.
In-Office Digital Mammogram Screenings

We offer the ease and convenience of having your mammogram screening done in the office with the flexibility to schedule the screening either before or, in many instances, the same day as your well-woman visit.

Digital Mammogram

Our advanced digital screening mammogram makes state-of-the-art technology accessible to all women.

Digital mammogram are electronic images of the breast, acquired at different angles, that can be enhanced, magnified, or manipulated for further evaluation, offering the following advantages over conventional mammogram:

  • Health care providers can share image files electronically, making long-distance consultations between radiologists and breast surgeons easier.
  • Subtle differences between normal and abnormal tissues may be more easily noted.
  • Fewer follow-up procedures may be needed.
  • Fewer repeat images may be needed, reducing the exposure to radiation.

Your screening mammogram will be performed by an experienced Registered Technologist and interpreted by board certified breast imaging radiologists.

Our physicians and mammographers have direct access to the radiologists to ensure rapid reporting of the results to you, as well as intervention, should that be necessary.

The following offices provide in-office digital mammogram screenings:

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