By: Amir Yashar Tashakor

The increasingly importance of the Mammography in early detection of Breast cancer can be inferred by The Canadian Cancer Society’s new advertisement campaigns, aimed at educating Canadians, especially middle aged women, of the crucial role Mammograms and similar procedures play in early tumour detection. In fact no other imaging technique has been nearly as successful in providing physicians with X-ray imagery of the breast, containing suspiciously overactive cell division or spots of calcium granulation, both of which may be characteristics of a malignant tumour. Although the procedure has been used for over thirty years, its recent standardization has added to its convenience and popularity. Patients’ entering a Mammography should not expect any surprises. A machine holds the breast in place [while the patient is seated] in order to prevent blurs in the image produced. The machine then scans the entire volume of each breast and the image produced is interpreted by specialized physicians. The image can often be hard to interpret, leading to a subsequent Mammography or biopsy in order to firmly identify any suspicious results. Statistics show that around 10% of patients undergoing the procedure will be called back for follow up examinations, yet the majority of the “follow-up” cases lead to false positive results. Approximately 0.5% of all patients that undergo the routine procedure are diagnosed with cancer. Hence patients are encouraged to refrain from making premature conclusions if they are called back for a follow-up.

Although Mammography doesn’t cure or prevent cancers, it aids as a fundamental early detection tool. Due to the nature of tumours, early detection can often represent a key aspect in their control and elimination. A cancer, by definition, is a group of cells in a specific tissue which divide and spread at an abnormally high frequency. Often early detection can help physicians destroy the tumour cells before they have spread beyond control. Hence routine Mammograms for middle aged women can help to detect possible cancerous tissue before they reach a threshold density, beyond which a cure is unlikely. In Canada, Mammography is encouraged once a year for women 40 years of age or older. Although, women that have a history of breast cancer in their family should start as early as 30 years of age with their annual examination. Following these suggestions, heath officials argue, can decrease a woman’s chance of death, due to breast cancer, by up to 35%.