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Mammogram
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A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast, that is, a picture of the tissue inside it. It is used for screening, which means looking for breast cancer in someone who feels fine, and it works because it can see tumors before the person notices any symptom at all.
To take it, the breast is placed between two plates that press down on it. That squeeze is not a punishment: it is exactly what improves the picture of the tissue inside, which is why it is done. Several pictures are taken from different angles, the way you walk around a piece of furniture to photograph it from every side. In those images a radiologist looks for unusual changes: a mass, that is, a lump; calcium deposits called calcifications; and breast density, which is how much dense tissue the breast has compared with fat on the mammogram itself. And that is where the test has its limit: in a dense breast there is a greater chance that a cancer will be missed.
In brief
A mammogram is an X-ray image of the breast; it is used to screen for breast cancer because it can find tumors before they cause symptoms.
The breast is placed between two plates that compress it, because that improves the image of what is inside, and several images are taken from different angles.
It can show a mass, calcium deposits called calcifications, and breast density; a radiologist reviews it looking for unusual changes.
In women with dense breasts, a mammogram is more likely to miss a cancer.
Sources (1)
- National Cancer InstituteMammograms
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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