Breast Cancer Prevention

Early screenings through mammography and specialized training of breast radiologists are allowing doctors to detect early breast cancer when treatment can be most successful.

Mammography may detect over 85% of the breast tumors, and results are still better if the screening is conducted along with a physical examination. It is clear that screening women older than 50 years reduces the number of deaths from breast cancer. However, in women younger than 50 years, breast x-ray screening offers a very small, if any, benefit. Doctors don't always agree on when to have a baseline mammogram or who should be screened and when.

It is a real advantage to diagnose breast cancer in an early stage, in a phase in which it is possible to remove a small part of the breast only, with high probabilities of cure.

Screening guidelines

The American Cancer Society recommends to all women who have no symptoms or feel no unusual breast lumps to follow these guidelines.

• After age 20 years, perform self-exam of the breast once a month.
  
  
• In women aged 20-40 years, have a clinical breast exam by a physician every 3 years, and once a year after age 40 years.
  
  
• Perform the first, baseline mammogram in women aged 35-40 years.
  
  
• In women aged 40-49 years, perform a mammogram every 1-2 years.
  
  
• After age 50 years, have a mammogram once a year.

Women with a personal or family history of breast tumors must work with their physicians and schedule more frequent exams. However, breast tissue in younger women (younger than 30 years) tends to be denser, and this makes it more difficult to detect small changes in the breast on a mammogram. Such women may be screened for breast tumors by means of echography or ultrasound once every 2-3 years.