On a mammogram, fat looks dark grey or black whereas breast tissue looks white. That white area can be an issue because many small breast cancers also appear as white, so it’s harder to detect them in dense breasts.
Mammography
Advancements in technology have improved screening quality while decreasing the need for additional images. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of tomosynthesis or 3D screening mammography. Since then, multiple studies have found that 3D screenings have reduced the need to recall patients for additional images up to 17 percent.
Let’s face it: no cancer is a good cancer. But if you do get cancer, being diagnosed at Stage 0 might be considered a best-case scenario.
Despite their importance, there are all sorts of misconceptions and misinformation regarding mammograms that make it difficult to know when's the right time to schedule your screening.
You may have heard about a technology called 3D mammography. We get quite a few questions about it from patients in our Breast Center. It’s important to understand what 3D mammography is used for and who will benefit most from the technology.
Radioactive seed localization is a minimally invasive procedure performed before a lumpectomy to “mark” the tumor, that helps your surgeon locate the breast cancer and ensure its accurate removal, and is especially helpful when the tumor is too small for the surgeon to feel.