Baylor Scott & White Health

3D Mammography Can Find Breast Cancer at Early Stage

Good news first. Most of the cancers found on mammograms are tiny. Dr. Patricia Krakos, a radiologist on staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano broke the news to us, adding other heartening facts.

“Breast cancer is very, very treatable and we’ve increased people’s ability to survive from it by 30% since we started doing mammograms,” she said. Though the most common cancer is also the most treatable, Dr. Krakos added that its prevalence rate makes breast cancer second only to skin cancer. Thus, the importance of a yearly mammogram cannot be emphasized enough according to most cancer doctors.

“It’s extremely important to do everything we can to try to prevent and diagnose breast cancer early. Right now, there’s really not much we can do for prevention,” she said. Though lifestyle factors play a part in cancer risk, many cancers are found without any risk factors, she explained.

Luckily, new 3D imaging technology makes it possible and common to detect Stage 0 breast cancers which will not require any chemotherapy and, depending on the size and particular cancer, may also require no radiation. “It’s much easier on your mind and body when you have a tiny cancer,” said Dr. Krakos. What’s more, the doctor explained how women have a 12% chance of developing breast cancer, or one in eight women.

New 3D mammography equipment means mammograms are possible for everyone regardless of breast size.

3D Mammography

Baylor Scott & White recommends 3D mammograms on all women. Compression is still used in 3D mammography, but the resulting images deliver incredibly detailed results. Instead of taking just one picture, the 3D camera takes many quick snapshots of different areas of your breast. The resulting video image is almost like a hologram, said Dr. Krakos.

First, the mammogram can easily “see” through dense breast tissue much more easily. Second, the 3D mammogram has reduced the number of people called back to the doctor’s office because of questionable abnormalities detected in their images. That is, doctors now only call back people who really need it, said Dr. Krakos.

Misconceptions

So, what’s stopping you from scheduling a mammogram today? Perhaps an easily cleared-up misconception is to blame. The public often hears mixed messages about mammograms. The need for a mammogram only every other year, or not until you are 50 are two common misunderstandings around the need for yearly mammograms, and may come from old science, explained Dr. Krakos.

Another misconception comes from concerns about radiation. According to Baylor Scott & White doctors, mammography radiation is incredibly focused and small. Background radiation in the air over the course of seven short weeks of being alive would add up to about the same amount of radiation necessary for mammography, they explained. That’s about the same amount as a person might experience flying from California to New York or even having a chest X-ray. The benefits for submitting to such a small amount of radiation for a mammogram, however, may far outweigh the benefits of one
airline flight.

Dense breast tissue is no match for advances in mammography, either, said Dr. Krakos, so anyone who believes their own dense tissue will thwart the screening power of a mammogram can rest easy. Dense breast tissue is a normal type of tissue that is thicker than non-dense tissue, but even the earliest-stage cancers are seen in a 3D mammogram. Even the tiny calcium deposits that accumulate at stage 0 – before the cancer has invaded any tissue or spread – can be seen best on a mammogram.

When and Why

Breast cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, but finding it early is key. Dr. Krakos told us that 70% of women who die from breast cancer have not had their regular mammograms. Cancer doctors are also finding this type of cancer in younger patients, where it tends to be more aggressive. That’s why cancer doctors recommend yearly screenings starting at age 40. Those with a first-degree family member who has had breast cancer should start their mammograms ten years earlier, at age 30. That’s because, for people with a first-degree family member who was diagnosed, cancer affects subsequent generations at an earlier age.

Make sure you talk to your doctor about your own risk factors for cancer. Though 12% is considered the average risk for all women to develop some form of breast cancer, your doctor can consider family history, personal medical history, and other factors to calculate your individual risk. Additional tests such as MRIs and ultrasounds may be recommended for some patients.

Abnormal lymph nodes in the scanned regions may even be detected through regularly scheduled mammograms, helping catch lymphomas too.

Physicians provide clinical services as members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Scott & White Health’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and do not provide clinical services as employees or agents of Baylor Scott & White Health or those medical centers.