The Trail of Invisible Light: A Century of Medical Imaging
Mammography
20, 21. Mammograms. Courtesy of the Department of Radiology, UIHC. |
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in this country (other than skin cancer). The average risk of getting breast cancer over a lifetime is 1 in 8. Detection of breast cancer at an early stage strongly influences the success of any treatment. Survival drops dramatically the later the disease is detected. When the disease is found and treated early, before it has spread beyond the breast, the 5-year survival rate is about 95 percent. An annual mammogram is the most reliable way to detect breast cancer. |
| The American Cancer Society recommends that women between the ages of thirty-five and forty have their first (base-line) mammogram. Subsequent mammograms are examined alongside the base-line mammogram to detect any changes in the breast tissue. A radiologist scrutinizes each image for abnormalities that appear lighter on the image than the surrounding breast tissue. A good mammogram can image fibrous strands as thin as a spider's web, and calcium deposits so small the film must be examined with a magnifying glass. Mammograms of normal breast tissue are displayed along with images revealing a lesion. |
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