Screening Mammograms
At all Rose Imaging Specialists locations, we use the technologically advanced 3D Mammogram/Tomosynthesis for all screening mammograms.
A mammogram is a low dose x-ray picture of the breast. Mammograms are used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. This type of mammogram is called a screening mammogram.
Screening mammograms performed by a Rose Imaging Specialist are digital breast tomosynthesis exams, or 3D mammograms which create multiple layers of pictures of each breast. The images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt and are much more accurate for all women, regardless of breast density. Screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.
Why are screening mammograms needed?
Many small tumors can be seen on a mammogram before they can be felt by a woman or her health professional. Mammograms do not prevent breast cancer or reduce a woman’s risk of developing cancer. However, regular screening mammograms have been shown to reduce a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer by detecting cancer in its early stages.
Mammograms are scientifically proven to reduce mortality from breast cancer. Mammograms can show signs of cancer in the breast up to two years before a patient or physician can feel them. Current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOC) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) recommend screening mammograms every year for women, beginning at age 40. Multiple large trials have shown the benefit of annual mammograms beginning at age 40.